Brief:
The FlisKits Cougar 440 is a model designed to fly on 1/2A through full A 13mm motors. Recommend motors are 1/2A3-3T and A10-3T.

The kit is advertised as a competition streamer duration model. I am not really into competition rockets, but I wanted to try one of these kits and besides it looked like a lot of fun to build.

Construction:
As far as actual components are concerned, the kit included:

• 1 BT-5 Body tube
• 1 Balsa Nosecone
• 1 6" x 3" x 1/64" Ply sheet for the fins (with enough to make many sets of fins, which is handy for any repairs)
• 2 Streamer kits, one for competition and one for sport
• 1 Pop-Lug kit
• 1 13mm engine block.

The Cougar 440 came in a plastic bag with kit cover art card (it was marked production #43 too). I was shocked to actually find that the bag has detailed instructions! There were separate instructions for the competition streamer, pop lug and the model construction. Also, the cover art card came with a checklist on the back and a warranty card.

If the cost for this kit is $10, then there must be $5 U.S. worth of printed paper alone in the kit. That's unbelievable in this day and age. All the documents were well written and illustrated. Nice job FlisKits!

Instructions are easy to follow and are in a logical assembly order. It is noteworthy that in cutting out the fin pattern, there are 3 patterns choose from.

Finishing:
If you plan on using this model in competition, FlisKits recommends that you use only a few light coats of sealer on the fins and nose cone. That is all. If it is to be flown just for sport, you can have at it and finish it any way you wish. I opted to go for the competition mode.

The pop lug should be an item that those in competition would recognize, however, it was new one to me. I like the idea, but had to build it to see how well it would work. A separate instruction sheet is included for the lug, with a piece of brass wire taped to it so you wouldn't loose it. A nice detail is the instructions drawing are exact size for the wire bends, so you simply cut it and make it fit the drawing, which is pretty easy. They give you 24 inches of 8 lb Kevlar® thread. I cut it in to two 12 inch long threads for the wraps to insure there was enough to complete the wrap. Tip: To mount the wires draw a center line down the 1/8" launch lug then the wires are glued to launch lug using epoxy, then wrapped with 8 lb Kevlar® thread. I finished the wraps by adding a couple drops of thin epoxy to coat them. I did test of the pop lug and it really works.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
Date: 3-4-06
Wind: 2-4 kph
Motor: A3-4T Estes
Ejection: just past apogee
The Cougar 440 goes like a bullet straight for good altitude. Ejection just past apogee deployment of the sport streamer was not a problem.

Motor: A10-3T Estes
Ejection: at apogee
Straight flight. A lot more altitude and ejection at apogee deployment of the sport streamer was not a problem.

Motor: A3-4T Estes
Ejection: at or just past apogee
Second flight with a A3-4T motor was straight and had good altitude. Ejection at or just past apogee deployment of the sport streamer was not a problem.

Recovery:
The included sport streamer is a perfect match for this rocket. Even with winds at 2-4kph, there was little drift on the A10-3T motor flight and recovery 100 meters down range. You don't needs lots of wadding (2-3 sheets) for the streamer to protect it. It's a good sport flyer and the pop lug works great.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This rocket is very easy to build and could be attempted as a second rocket even by a beginner. The parts and instructions were first rate. If this is any indication of the future kits from FlisKits, be prepared for some great memories and great kits! I rate FlisKits Cougar 440 instructions 5 out of 5 simply because they are presented in a detailed, logical, and organized format.

PROs: Cost of this kit and the components supplied in the kit.

CONs: None.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5