DG&A High Power Rocketry Arrow

DG&A High Power Rocketry - Arrow {Kit}

Contributed by Jeff Short

Manufacturer: DG&A High Power Rocketry
(Contributed - by Jeff Short - 04/01/04)

Picture courtesy of DG&A   Rocket Pic

Brief:
Converted the kit to zipperless deployment instead of nosecone deployment.

Modifications:
I swapped the payload body tube and the airframe body tube. The back end was make zipper less with the nosecone fixed to the upper section. The bulkplate was put about 1/2 way up the upper section. No tubes required any cutting or modification.

Construction:
This kit comes with a 24" long x 4" diameter body tube, 10" long x 4" diameter payload section, 38mm motor mount, 3.9" coupler, plastic nose cone, bulkplate, 2 plywood centering rings, three 1/4" birch plywood fins, eyebolts, quicklinks, 20' tubular nylon shock cord, 36" ripstop nylon chute, and 1/2" launch lug. All tubes are of heavy craft paper.

The parts are all high quality with nothing missing or damaged. All parts come individually wrapped in newspaper in a heavy cardboard box. The fins were match cut and only required sanding before paint.

The included instructions were a clear step by step guide to building the rocket. Pictures were included to help with the descriptions. A fin/launch lug alignment guide were included along with pre-marked body tubes (but not cut).

As with all my rockets this one is a tank. My weight of 70 oz compares to the projected weight of 48 to 64 oz.

Flight:
The recommended motors are: G80, H128, H180, I161, I211, J350. I have flown it on an I205 and a I285. Preparation is no different than any other standard rocket. The flights have all been great and nearly perfectly straight up.

The kit goes together very easily.

The kit does not come with motor retention and I would like to see rail buttons instead of the 1/2 launch lug. These are minor issues as both are easily installed. I would also prefer Kevlar® cord instead of the tubular nylon but this is just my opinion.

Summary:
The pros for this kit are ease of assembly and rugged design. The fins attach to the motor mount and very sturdy. It would make a good L1 kit.

The only cons I can think of are that it is a very standard rocket design, so it's not going to draw a lot of eyes at a launch. However it is a nice looking kit and flies so well that it is easy to overlook. Plus this adds to the ease of assembly and you know where all the parts go without even having to read the instructions.

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Flights

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