| Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar_border |
| Published: | 2014-07-02 |
| Diameter: | 2.20 inches |
| Length: | 22.00 inches |
| Manufacturer: | Madcow Rocketry  |
| Style: | Scale |
Brief
A high power, scale model of the AIM - 54 missle.
Components
- 38 mm motor mount
- Thru the wall fins.
- 4" diameter tube
- 1/4 inch plywood fins and centering rings
- 36" chute and parachute protector included
- Rail buttons
- 9" length nose cone
Construction
Construction is solid and relatively easy. Through the wall fins and heavy duty tubes and plywood make this rocket super solid. Construction is easy enough and could be completed in a couple of hours. All parts are heavy duty and can easily handle the power. One downside is balancing the center of gravity forward of the center of drag. Due to the split fin design, the center of drag is further forward than usual, so allot of nose weight could be neccisary(1+ pounds). To do this I advise using the wooden dowel through the nose cone method talked about in Apogee's tutortial <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8bS6Dbdw9Y>, opposed to the method described in the instruction booklet that came with the rocket. Coupling the nose weight with the heavy duty design, this rocket can get quite heavy for its size. Shock cord is attached to the centering rings with a heavy duty eye bolt. 36" chute and parachute protector is attached with a 10' long, 1/2" width tubular nylon chord. The direction manual says to cut two holes in the base of the nose cone and then tie the
shock chord through; while this has been effective so far, their may be a better way to do this. Comes with standard rail buttons and no motor retention, so you will have to buy one. Overall, easily built and a great stepping stone into high powered rocketry.
-This is the new version produced by Madcow, it has a single body tube as opposed to the two tubes and coupler used in the original. Other than that it is identical.
Finishing
The four-inch diameter leaves allot of space for creativity. Comes with realistic decals and paint scheme if you're up for a challenge.
Flight
Heavy-weight and large diameter is cause for some pretty impressive, slow launches. It also means that it wont go to high on an H motor (900-1100 ft), which can be great for L1 certification. Also, I've noticed that my rocket makes a cool whistling sound when flying through the air; not sure if this is unique to mine or all Phoenixes.
Recovery
If you put a large amount of nose weight in the front you may want to swap out the 36 inch parachute that comes in the kit with for a larger one because it does tend to come down a little hard, however, Sturdy build means that it'll probably survive the landing if you don't.
Summary
Great step into high powered rocketry, and a great L1 & L2 certification rocket. The Madcow Phoenix is highly durable with its thick fins and sturdy design. Construction is easy and relativly quick, with the most difficult part being adding the nose weight. Another down side for a person looking to use this as a L1 certification rocket is the fact that after you've added all the nose weight required to balance the rocket, it will most likely be to heavy to use a G80 on, so your first flight with it will be your certification flight. Other than that, a great certification rocket. Impressive lift offs and in my opinion a pretty cool looking design.
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