Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Avast, me proud beauty! It is named such for two reasons: 1) it is an homage t' t' movie Mystery Men, which I saw for t' first time recently, me bucko, and 2) I wanted t' paint it a dark color instead o' white in order t' maximize me chances o' gettin' it back.

Construction:
My primary components were:

• 9" BT-55 body tube (sustainer)
• 2.75" BT-55 body tube (booster
• PNC-55 (Bullpup NC)
• 2 sets o' 4 hand-traced and cut balsa fins
• 2 18mm engine tubes
• 2 sets o' BT-55 t' BT-20 cardboard centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, scratch made
• elastic shock cord
• 2" x 24" plastic streamer

This be me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Begad! Aye aye! I had t' idea o' this rocket (or some variation thereof) for some time and decided that this would be t' perfect time t' do this. Ahoy! One reason was to make sure that it would be stable in that t' Phoenix can have some stability issues.

This was a relatively simple and straightforward build. Aye aye! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. Ahoy! To be honest, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. Ahoy! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Blimey! Arrr! Also, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see be whether or nay it was stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Avast, me proud beauty! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, or it would fly well and would disappear. Begad! Arrr! It turns out t' latter was true.

Finishing:
After construction I primed t' rocket with Wal-Mart primer (all t' paint used on this one be from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, ya bilge rat, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint. Ya scallywag! Blimey!

Flight and Recovery:
I flew this rocket once on a C6-0 t' C6-7 combination. Arrr! Well, blow me down! T' flight was nice and straight. Ahoy! Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather was too breezy. Long story short, t' sustainer was lost. Avast! Blimey!

Summary:
This be an enjoyable build for me. I enjoyed workin' with RockSim and look forward t' movin' past t' free trial in order t' use it in t' future. Begad! While most o' t' rocket was lost, I was still pleased with t' outcome. Avast! I will build another version o' this rocket and dress it up a little more. Begad! I'll also be sure t' do a better job o' matchin' up field size, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, motor options, matey, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and weather conditions.