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

T' Velociraptor was nay only a challengin' rocket t' build it was a lot of fun. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' start, me bucko, 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. Begad! You could tell I just bought a top shelf kit. Well, blow me down! T' packagin' was done with care. Everythin' was wrapped individually and all o' t' parts were in place and in excellent condition. T' 11 page instruction manual with illustrations was very well thought out and easy t' follow. Well, blow me down! T' website is very well thought out and the and very easy t' order a number o' different kits and supplies. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! This website is the best kept secret in Rocketry, t' buyin' experience alone scores a (5). Mike Fisher, shiver me timbers, matey, t' owner o' Binder Design an-swered all o' me questions on e-mail or on t' phone. 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. Arrr! It comes with unique anti-zipper baffle design, aluminum motor retainer, and rail buttons! Fly it on an H or I for your level one certification, me hearties, then stick a J motor in it for your level two flight and watch it scream. Begad!

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

Construction:
With t' instruction manual bein' very thor-ough, matey, all you need t' be able t' do is read left t' right. 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, shiver me timbers, matey, the slower I went produced terrific results. Begad! Blimey! As t' instruc-tions tell you, matey, matey, the care that you take durin' these steps will insure a well built and solid rocket. A hand sander and dremel came in very handy, me bucko, especially with t' talon fins. Ahoy!

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

I purchased an avionics bay for this rocket, but chose nay t' use it. Arrr! The rocket and can be built two ways, with or without t' bay. Aye aye! I did nay feel that I was 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. Aye aye! I wanted to have it able t' use a K550W. So I built it strong. Begad! T' rocket weigh in at 5.5 lbs. Well, blow me down! loaded and ready t' go. Begad!

Finishing:
I had built this stock, me bucko, matey, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. After sandin' and prep, shiver me timbers, 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. Well, blow me down! Binder pro-vided excellent decals t' finish t' rocket and give its great look. Usin' me garage as me paint studio never sits well with my wife, matey, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but she has gotten use t' it. Ahoy! Aye aye!

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

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

Back t' t' launch. As a mentioned t' rocket is quite impressive when finished, and I believe this was t' be t' only Level 2 launch o' t' day. Aye aye! So it got a little o' attention. T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, me hearties, and we were readin' t' go. T' wind was 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. Well, blow me down!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, matey, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. It looked great. With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Ahoy! Blimey! T' chase be on. Aye aye! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Recovery:
With t' chute fully deployed with t' rocket appearin' in good shape. Ya scallywag! Blimey! The extra height that we saw allowed t' drift into t' corn field about two hundred yards in. 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! Avast, me proud beauty! I also lost two talon fins. Begad! Begad! When t' post opt be completed, ya bilge rat, we realized t' followin' things that could have lead t' a successful flight:

1. A Long delay. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, ya bilge rat, matey, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Ya scallywag!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad.
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Well, blow me down! 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. Aye aye! It is now ready t' go at t' next op-portunity for a HPR launch. Well, blow me down! I have learned a lot in t' last 15 months, and have found that this is a great hobby t' be a part of. Avast! I will continue t' learn and gain experience, shiver me timbers, and will always seek t' advice from others that have gone before me.

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