Brief
Paper shroud construction and dual chute recovery.

Construction
This was the first Quest kit I have built and was pleased with almost all aspects. The kit came in the common bag; no parts were missing or broken. This kit is a finless, Skill Level 3 features paper shroud construction and dual 12-inch parachute recovery. More on the 'chutes later.

The instructions were easy to follow and assembly, using white glue throughout, went very smoothly, and the build was surprisingly quick. The framework out of stiff cardboard went together well and the dry fitting showed a well-manufactured kit. The first thing is the paper shroud comes rolled up. This needs to be flattened out. I accomplished this with a couple of phone books and about 1/2-hour time. This left just enough curl to help in the assembly latter.

The only difficult part was the marking of the tube. The black tube did not show the lines very well, not a problem, a sharp crayon works wonders.

I really liked the shock cord attachment with the Kevlarcord tied to the motor mount. I test fitted this and made sure that the Kevlarwas even with the end of the body tube. Then I tied the elastic as shown. I hoped that this would keep the tube from zippering.

I added the clay for the nose weight as shown, with very little effort. After adding the weight I decided against using only one 'chute and built the recovery system as directed.

Take the time to carefully cut the shroud out, this makes the fitting of the assembly with the double stick tape conceals the seam easier. The instructions come to a point of adding the maneuvering flaps and nozzles for display only. I deviated here. After I had it finished, it looked to me as if something was missing. I added the nozzles. Rapping the cutouts around a pencil I acquired the correct shape. After gluing the nozzles in place I could see that they were out of line of the exhaust of the motor.

Finishing
There is no finishing to be done as the shroud is preprint, but the decals leave something to be desired. They are self-adhesive and on an opaque (white) backing. The picture card with the kit shows the lettering directly on the gray body. The nose cone lettering was on a black background and with careful trimming came out looking good. The US flags I was able to trim close enough to make them work. As for the USA, well… I had decals left over from a kit bash of a 2 stage Estes Nike-Arrow so I made the USA from that.

Construction Rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Flight
The first flight was on February 7, 1999 at a C.R.A.S.H. launch in Denver. The only recommended motor is a C6-3. The prep is standard, wadding and recovery system. As I loaded the Space Clipper on the pad I got more questions than ever. The flight was better than I imagined. The DC-Y lifted off with a slow assent, and rose close to the estimated height of 200 ft. The delay was just about right. The second flight was straight and true. The next chance I had to fly was at a C.R.A.S.H. launch in Denver on March 7, 1999 and again the flight was great.

Recovery
Recovery was another story. On the first flight the nose cone came down on it 'chute opening cleanly, the body on the other hand returned on wad recovery. The Clipper was not damaged, but I had to try again. The Kevlar® was blackened, but no damage was observed. Figuring that the stiff Quest 'chute was the culprit, I pulled an Estes 12 inch 'chute out my range box. The second flight was a duplicate of the first. The body is just too light to fully deploy the 'chute. The third flight I replaced the "chute with a 3 ft Mylar streamer. I think I have the streamer just the right length. It brought the body down more gently and it landed near the pads without a thud.

Flight I give a 5. Recovery built as instructed 1, however, with the recovery modification a 3.

Flight Rating: 3 ½ out of 5

Summary
Overall this is a great kit. I really enjoy watching it fly and has become one of my favorites. For the price, I paid $12.95 at a local hobby shop; it is a good value. I like that it is different. Replacing the body 'chute with a streamer makes me feel better about having the DC-Y Space Clipper for a long time to come.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5