Brief:
This was a kit bash to turn the Quest Terrier-Orion into a two-stage model. The modification was really simple: I simply added a motor mount to the upper section of the model. The extra 18mm motor mount was taken from the remnants of an Estes SS1 kit that had experienced some problems and was not going to be built normally.

Modifications:
The actual construction was straightforward and simple. It was just a matter of

building the two sections as independent pieces. One change that had

to be made, however, was sanding down the upper section of the plastic transition. Having been designed to be glued to the upper portion of the rocket, it was too tight for a reliable stage.

Construction:
The additional components added to the Quest T-O kit were the 18mm BT-20 for the motor mount, homemade centering rings made from the header card of the Estes kit, and a Hartle Engineering streamer.

It's a nice, high quality kit typical of Quest. It went together easily and well. It was painted with Wal-Mart spray paint.

Flight:
Although I'd read about gap staging I had never actually done it, and I wondered if it would work. I didn't do anything special such as a stuffer tube or vent holes. I just trusted that it would work across the 9-inch gap. I'm happy to report that it staged flawlessly and was an impressive flight. We even had some spectators who went out of their way to see this one because it would be a "cool two stager." Thankfully it was.

Recovery was less impressive. Because of its design the lower stage did not tumble harmlessly. Instead it came down very quickly nose down. Impact drove the plastic transition about half an inch into the body tube and popped the motor mount loose. The upper stage came down fine but loosened a fin

Summary:
This was a fun one. It would be worth doing again if I could find a better and safer way to bring down the booster stage. With some repair it could possible fly again.