Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | Aerotech |
Brief:
The recovery system on this rocket is a large yellow parachute. Although this chute is very large it can be hard to see at a great distance. The only problem with this chute is that it easily catches in trees and this was the fate of my rocket.
Construction:
This kit comes with one body tube without a payload section. There are also a motor mount tube, molded plastic nosecone, and 3 through the wall mounted fins. There are also 2 centering rings which hold up nicely. The nosecone is attached to the labyrinth ejection gas cooling system with an elastic cord and the parachute is attached to this same cord.
The instructions for this kit were explicit and very fun to put together. They were easy to follow, well illustrated, included templates, and were for the most part logically assembled. I love the through the wall fin mount system used by Aerotech. This makes for easy and very durable fin mounts. No special tools were needed that cannot be found around the house or purchased for a few dollars. All of the necessary supplies could be found around my house.
Finishing:
The finishing is fairly simple for this rocket. There are great decals which you simple cut out. The decals are easy to match with the photographs on the box. The only problem with the finishing is that the paint for the nose cone has to be matched with the same color of red on the stickers. If this is not done the rocket looks a bit strange. All in all the rocket is sleek and looks wonderful.
Construction Rating: 5 out of 5
Flight:
The recommended motors (two of which come with the SU kit) may seem small but they deliver. The launch is great and very loud. I would not suggest an angle of launch other than 90 degrees. Any deviations from this result in loss of the rocket. There was no wadding required and a hook prevents the motor from exiting the motor mount tube. The rocket flew high for me but due to strong winds at altitude the rocket drifted about a mile.
Recovery:
The recovery was perfect; the rocket did not burn or receive any damage. The single yellow parachute works quite well with this rocket and is attached to a heavy-duty shock cord. The rocket might need to descend a little quicker in windy conditions.
Flight Rating: 4 out of 5
Summary:
This kit is excellent for the beginner and I highly recommend it. The included launch pad is easy to assemble, but is only plastic with metal legs that fall out easily. I would not use this pad with high power rockets because I don't believe it would support them sufficiently.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Easy to build kit - especially with the online tutorials that I managed to save as I was unable to find them more recently. Painted the rocket white with a red nosecone. So far it works great! Components Made as per kit plans and included supplies. Built with 5min epoxy to withstand higher impluse G flights. /h2 Kit came with everything including ...
The Initiator is a good looking, mid powered rocket that flies on 24mm and 29mm rocket motors. The starter set comes with everything needed to build and launch the Initiator. The Initiator comes with (1) main body tube, a motor tube, 3 fins, a nose cone, a gas baffle system and recovery system. The starter set also includes a launch pad, launch controller and 2 motors. The Initiator is one ...
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M.C.D. (January 1, 2001)