Brief:
T' Phoenix Dark is a two-stage BT-55 downscale o' t' Estes Phoenix. Aye aye! 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, shiver me timbers, arrr, 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 was me first attempt t' use RockSim, shiver me timbers, which I did as part o' t' EMRR Challenge. Begad! 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. One reason be 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. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! All o' t' construction was done with Elmer's wood glue. To be honest, t' quality o' this build was nay quite up t' me usual standards. Aye aye! Begad! I tried t' get it done smartly t' get in under t' timeline. Ahoy! Also, one o' t' primary things I wanted t' see was whether or nay it be stable as simulated with the largest motor combination. Ya scallywag! Avast! Consequently I was pretty sure that either it would be an unstable disaster and therefore unwanted, or it would fly well and would disappear. Avast! It turns out t' latter be true.

Finishing:
After construction I primed t' rocket with Wal-Mart primer (all t' paint used on this one was from Wal-Mart) and sanded it, followin' with a few coats o' black spray paint.

Flight and Recovery:
I flew this rocket once on a C6-0 t' C6-7 combination. Ya scallywag! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! T' flight be nice and straight. Arrr! Begad! Unfortunately it went too high and t' weather be too breezy. Well, matey, blow me down! Long story short, arrr, t' sustainer was lost. Well, blow me down!

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