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

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

Kit specifications:
Designed for t' advanced builder and sport flyer, me hearties, t' Velociraptor is a 4” diameter High Power Rocket with an aggressive look. Well, blow me down! 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, 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, matey, high strength airframe tube and couplers, matey, centerin' rings, bulkhead plate, arrr, high quality hardware package, matey, 54 mm motor tube, arrr, plastic nose and tail cone, computer designed and cut vinyl decals. Arrr! Ya scallywag! A 45” premium nylon parachute was included. Begad! Begad!

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

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

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

Finishing:
I had built this stock, shiver me timbers, so me intentions were t' finish it exactly as it showed in t' instructions. Aye aye! 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. Blimey! T' Nose cone was finished in silver. Avast! 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, but she has gotten use t' it. Well, arrr, blow me down!

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

As I said in t' first paragraph, this was nay a successful flight. Aye aye! Arrr! When you start t' investigate why somethin' went wrong, matey, here was me first mistake o' the day. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' motor came with a long delay. Ahoy! I was advised based on what Space Cad had recommended t' change t' a medium delay. Goin' with t' medium delay led to a premature separation. After talkin' t' Binder, me bucko, t' long de-lay should have been t' choice. Blimey! 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! 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, matey, blow me down!

Back t' t' launch. Ahoy! Blimey! 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! Blimey! So it got a little o' attention. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket was loaded on t' Impulse Aerospace Quad Pod, matey, and we were readin' t' go. Aye aye! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! T' wind was at about 5 miles an hour out of t' south west. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey!

5,4,3,2,1 Lift off, shiver me timbers, t' rocket lifted off t' pad. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! It looked great. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! With everyone watchin' we saw t' separation and chute deploy. Aye aye! Arrr! T' chase was on. Aye aye!

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. Ahoy! 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. Arrr!

I was very disappointed in findin' t' zipper damage. Arrr! I also lost two talon fins. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Ahoy!
2. A wider lead line comin' out o' t' body tube, arrr, t' 1/2” shock cord allowed t' cord t' zipper through t' body tube more easily. Avast!
3. Electronics would have allowed for dual de-ployment and brought t' rocket closer t' t' launch pad. Ahoy!
4. Fiber glassin' t' body tube. Begad! Ahoy!

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

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