Picture courtesy of Shadow Composites

Brief:
The Raven is a minimum diameter, high performance carbon-fiber rocket kit.

Construction:
I ordered this kit with the dual deployment option, but found the larger parachute unnecessary- I assembled it using only the altimeter bay and main booster section. The tubes and three fins are carbon fiber. A ceramic blanket is provided for heat insulation at the rear. Ceramic shock cords and Rocketman chutes are provided as is a cast polyurethane nose cone and Aeropack retainer.

The rocket was fairly easy to build. Special epoxies and carbon fiber laminate are provided for fin attachment. Instructions were complete. I decided to forego the laminate at the fin joints and only used the 500 deg. epoxy with Kevlar® pulp provided. The sturdiness of this rocket is beyond doubt. I did have to square the ends of the tubes on a disc sander.

Finishing:
I decided not to finish this rocket. I can't really explain why. I guess it just seemed unnecessary. I did however apply a "NitroFish" decal. In my opinion the rocket looks fine just like it is, maybe even a little 'evil'.

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
The first flight of this rocket was a G-80. It flew fine maybe 500' and happily bounced down on its little Rocketman R24D parachute. It was at this point that I realized that the larger R3C provided for dual recovery would be unnecessary. The second flight was an I-357. Very nice flight but I didn't use enough powder so recovery was by shovel. Well, actually I didn't have a shovel, so we dug it out with a screwdriver. The Raven was buried 30 inches into the desert. The only damage was the tip of the nose cone broken off from trying to wiggle it out. I dusted it off and flew it again on an I-161, this time with 1-1/2 grams of powder. No problem. Most recent was an I-300 flight with altimeter recovery. Altitude reported was 5655 feet. Very straight, pretty flight. Three of the four shroud lines to the R24D were burned through (my fault) so the rocket fell rather fast- still, no damage to the airframe.

Recovery:
The shock cords provided are ceramic fiber rope. I've never used it before but it seems awfully tough. Rocketman 'Chutes and Nomex® protectors are provided. Recovery is fast on just the drogue, but the rocket can take it. Be sure to use plenty of ejection charge and protect the shroud lines from the charge.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
The Raven is a very tough, high performance rocket. It can use a 38mm x 40" motor if you're brave enough. The only CON I can think of is that this rocket could be dangerous if insufficient ejection charge is used. I'll bet it would go right through a car..(and fly again!)

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5