Brief:
I was gettin' into me car and several maple seeds fluttered down from me neighbor's maple trees onto t' windshield. I picked one up and said t' myself "Nature's perfect monocopter". Ahoy! I love flyin' helicopter recovery rockets. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! If you are with me at a launch I will always send up at least one. As I stood holdin' t' maple seed, I remembered somethin' I read online. I had seen references t' "maple seed" recovery rockets in me research. Ya scallywag! I began again t' scour t' web for more information and t' me delight I found plans on t' education web site o' University o' Indiana.T' plans are for a rocket called t' Cyclone. Ahoy! T' rocket incorporates t' maple seed recovery method as it splits into 2 parts at apogee, t' "spin" unit and t' "stabilizer" unit. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! You can also see me website for further info.

Construction:
T' parts list:

• BNC 20R nose cone
• 2 BT-20 tubes
• 1/16" Balsa
• 1/8" wooden dowel
• 1/8" launch lug
• BT-5 engine tube
• engine block
• engine holder
• centerin' rings
• BT-20 adapter

This was a fairly easy build. Begad! Blimey! I would place it about Skill Level 2. Ahoy! Blimey! T' Spin Fin unit is heavy and will need a fin jig or use o' CA t' tack in on t' t' body tube. Arrr! Blimey! My first attempt with Aileene's Tacky Glue fell off from t' weight about an hour after attachin' it. Arrr! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! It needs t' cure before it can support t' weight o' t' fin.

Finishing:
I rarely paint any o' me helicopter recovery rockets. Blimey! I try t' keep them as light as possible for their performance. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! I did however paint this with a single coat as per t' image on t' website. Ahoy! I made a few mods t' t' paint scheme but it's pretty close.

Flight:
T' suggested motors are 1/2A3-2T for t' first flight and A3-4T for standard flights. Arrr! T' best thin' about this rockets is that t' preflight prep is so easy. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! Just put t' rocket halves together and put in a motor. That's it!

T' first flight was straight and true. T' rocket separated perfectly at apogee. Aye aye! Begad! T' spin unit immediately took t' maple seed spin configuration and slowly gyrated down. Ahoy! T' stabilizer unit does a helicopter style descent. Begad! Aye aye! T' stabilizer hit t' ground softly about 10 seconds before t' spin unit.

Recovery:
Both units landed on t' ground softly about 10 yards from each other. Ahoy! Begad! T' spin unit tends t' drift further due t' it's slower descent. Blimey! Within a minute I had it back together and loaded with a motor ready for it's second flight.

Summary:
This is a great little rocket. If you enjoy t' Gyroc or other helicopter recovery rockets, ya bilge rat, then you will enjoy this.