Brief:
This is a boost glider rocket with streamer recovery for the booster.

Construction:
The Quest Flat Cat boost glider includes an 18mm body tube for the booster as well as an engine mount kit. There are die cut balsa wings and fins. Also included in the kit is a 24" plastic recovery streamer, shock cord, plastic nose cone and decals.

The instructions were easy to follow with good illustrations. This is an easy kit to build. You have to prop one wing tip up in order to get the correct dihedral angle.

The Glider is delicate but it has to be light in order to fly well and it does fly very well. The wings, tail and fuselage stick were given minimal sanding, just rounding off the rough edges and smoothing out the balsa a little. There are no special tool needed. The only "gotcha" issue would be the glider to booster attachment hook.

The glider is meant to be towed to altitude by the booster, then the shock of the ejection charge knocks it loose so it can start gliding. If the hook on the booster mount is too tight the glider will not release! When all the glue and paint is dry, take the glider and assemble it to the booster. Now take the "stack" and give it a vertical shake. The glider should jump right off of the hook. If not, take some light sand paper to the booster hook to make it smooth. This works the same as the Edmonds Deltie boost glider kits.

Finishing:
The main problem with any boost glider is that you would like to paint it but paint adds unnecessary weight. It will still fly with some paint but overall flight times will probably be reduced. I added a little day-glo orange paint to one wing of my Flat Cat in order to aid in tracking and recovery spotting. By painting just one wing the glider tends to circle in a predictable flight pattern, keeping it in the field and out of the trees.

The booster was given an overall coat of Testors red spray enamel and a little Day Glo orange on the top. Be sure to give your booster a bright color to help find it down range. Also it is a good idea to have one member of your tracking team concentrate on the booster and one designated "glider tracker", BEFORE launch.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The recommeneded motors are B6-4, C6-3 and C6-5. Our first flight was on a B4-4 which worked fine. I was a little aprehensive about putting a C6 in the booster due to the light construction of the glider but we did and it flew fine. The C6 motors produce an extended glide time! The kit includeds sticky backed aluminum foil type decals for the wings and tail. I used this to help deflect the engine exhaust on the wings only. It works.

To prepare for flight install two sheets of recovery wadding in the booster, roll the streamer and then install the motor. Hook the glider to the booster and then slide the "stack" down on the launch wire. You must use a stop of some sort to hold the bottom of the booster. If you set the glider's tail on the pad the booster will drop down and disconnect the stack. I use either a piece of tape or a clothes pin.

Next make sure that the glider is free to slide all the way up the launch wire with out hitting the clothes pin. Connect your ignition wiring and then check to see that it does not entangle the glider's vertical or horzontal fin. Sounds complicated but once you've done it, there's nothing to it.

On launch expect to see an arch perhaps even a loop. This is typical of most boost gliders. Less loop is better. On ejection firing the glider seperates away and glide in a large graceful circle. Lots of fun!

Recovery:
The booster's yellow streamer that was supplied with the kit disappeared on the first fligtht! All that was left was a shred of yellow plastic attached to the shock cord.

Watch your glider closely if it is undulating up and then dropping repeatedly, add a couple of 1/8 inch balls of clay to the nose. If it dives steeply in, pinch off a little clay from the nose. If it flies straight away, add a little paint or clay to one wing tip for a wide circle.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
This is a great boost glider. Make a good first rocket glider or in the hands of an expert it could be very competitive.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Other:
It is fun to build two and have "fly off's" with someone timing the flight using a stop watch. Rubber band airplane model builders have "postal" flight contests where they record their flight times and then send them in to one person to "judge" the winners. Might be a good idea for EMRR to sponser a glider endurance "postal" contest?