Brief:
Let me start by tellin' you that me Level 2 certi-fication flight was not successful. But that has nay deterred me from recommendin' this kit. Avast! The re-build was very successful and t' rocket re-built won Model o' t' month for the Novem-ber meetin' o' NIRA. With a few adjustments, I know this model will make it durin' me second attempt. Ahoy! Blimey! Completed, this model is quite impres-sive. Blimey! Ya scallywag!

T' Velociraptor be nay only a challengin' rocket t' build it be a lot of fun. Aye aye! T' start, t' buyin' experience o' selectin' and orderin' through Binder Design was incredible. Aye aye! I ordered t' Velociraptor on-line on a Sunday and re-ceived it in t' mail on t' followin' Thursday. Avast, me proud beauty! You could tell I just bought a top shelf kit. Aye aye! Blimey! T' packagin' was done with care. Arrr! Everythin' was wrapped individually and all o' t' parts were in place and in excellent condition. Begad! T' 11 page instruction manual with illustrations was very well thought out and easy t' follow. T' website is very well thought out and the and very easy t' order a number o' different kits and supplies. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! This website is the best kept secret in Rocketry, ya bilge rat, t' buyin' experience alone scores a (5). Mike Fisher, t' owner o' Binder Design an-swered all o' me questions on e-mail or on t' phone. Arrr! Well, blow me down! He was very accessible. Avast!

Kit specifications:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, t' Velociraptor is a 4” diameter High Power Rocket with an aggressive look. It comes with unique anti-zipper baffle design, aluminum motor retainer, matey, me bucko, and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your level one certification, arrr, then stick a J motor in it for your level two flight and watch it scream.

Kit included cut and sanded 3/16” aircraft quality plywood fins, shiver me timbers, high strength airframe tube and couplers, centerin' rings, me bucko, bulkhead plate, ya bilge rat, high quality hardware package, 54 mm motor tube, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. A 45” premium nylon parachute was included. Aye aye!

Construction:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thor-ough, all you need t' be able t' do is read left t' right. Begad! T' longest part o' this project was t' buildin' o' the aft section. Begad! With a boat tail as-sembly and 9 fins t' sand and align, matey, ya bilge rat, the slower I went produced terrific results. Begad! As t' instruc-tions tell you, arrr, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. Ya scallywag! A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, me bucko, especially with t' talon fins.

I used a Slim Line motor retainer that was in-cluded with t' kit. Arrr! Avast! I am sold on these, me hearties, and plan on usin' them in all future rockets. Sleek, me bucko, easy, arrr, strong and better than maskin' tape. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! This rocket also incorporated a Binder Baffle System, the first time that I had built and used a baffle. Begad! This also worked well.

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, but chose nay t' use it. Blimey! The rocket and can be built two ways, matey, with or without t' bay. Arrr! I did nay feel that I be ready for t' electronics, but I now realize that if I am goin' t' play in t' higher power stuff, I am goin' t' have t' get involved with electronics.

I took me time and made sure that t' rocket be goin' t' be solid. Ahoy! Blimey! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! So I built it strong. Begad! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. Begad! Blimey! loaded and ready t' go. Blimey! Blimey!

Finishing:
I had built this stock, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. Begad! After sandin' and prep, I applied two coats o' primer followed by three coats o' finishin' paint. I used white high gloss paint for the aft section and Green Krylon for t' forward section. T' Nose cone was finished in silver. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Binder pro-vided excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give its great look. Begad! Aye aye! Usin' me garage as me paint studio never sits well with my wife, but she has gotten use t' it.

Flight:
My level 2 certification flight was set for WTGG in September. Avast, me proud beauty! I arrived at the field a late morn-ing, matey, t' find that a lot o' people were lookin' for me; I had the only rail for t' launch. Aye aye! It became very popular that day. Begad! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! I checked in with every-one that was goin' t' help me with t' flight. After watchin' 4-6 flights t' gage t' wind, I started t' build t' J350W motor that I was gong to use. Ahoy! Blimey!

As I said in t' first paragraph, this was nay a successful flight. Aye aye! When you start t' investigate why somethin' went wrong, here be me first mistake o' the day. Begad! T' motor came with a long delay. Avast, me proud beauty! I was advised based on what Space Cad had recommended t' change t' a medium delay. Begad! Goin' with t' medium delay led to a premature separation. Ya scallywag! After talkin' t' Binder, shiver me timbers, t' long de-lay should have been t' choice. Space Cad does nay do a very good job when usin' boat tails. T' Rocket probably reached an altitude o' 3300-3500 feet. Ya scallywag! Avast! Where Space Cad had it topin' out at 2800 feet, me hearties, this extra 500-700 feet was t' difference in comin' in perfect or with w 9 inch zipper. Aye aye!

Back t' t' launch. Aye aye! Ahoy! As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, ya bilge rat, and I believe this be t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. Begad! So it got a little o' attention. Ahoy! T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, matey, and we were readin' t' go. Blimey! T' wind be at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. I adjusted t' angle o' t' pad t' take advantage o' the wind and t' try t' keep t' rocket out o' t' corn field. Begad!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, ya bilge rat, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. It looked great. Avast! Ahoy! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Blimey! Begad! T' chase was on. Ya scallywag!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Begad! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. Begad! After two hours and a sec-ond attempt I was able t' recover the rocket with t' help o' a flag pole and walkin' talking.

I was very disappointed in findin' t' zipper damage. Avast, me proud beauty! I also lost two talon fins. Ahoy! When t' post opt was completed, matey, we realized t' followin' things that could have lead t' a successful flight:

1. A Long delay. Avast!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty!
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Blimey! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Summary:
T' next day I had e-mailed Mike Fisher at Binder and had t' parts that I needed t' rebuild t' rocket. Avast! Avast! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. Blimey! I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, matey, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. Aye aye! I will continue t' learn and gain experience, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me. Begad!

This is a great rocket, and I recommend it t' anyone. Ahoy! Begad! T' failed attempt was not that o' t' rocket, shiver me timbers, but a lack o' experience – I know I won’t make t' same mistakes again.