Assembly is easy - Just watch the video! - We've created a series of FREE quicktime videos that you can watch right now to see how easy a skill level 1 kit is to put together. By watching these videos, you'll learn some of the basic techniques you can use on other rockets too. You'll find these videos at our "Getting Started" page. Check it out!

Laser-cut balsa wood fins - Balsa wood is very lightweight and can be airfoiled by sanding, to reduce the drag forces on the kit. This makes the rocket zoom higher and faster into the sky. Laser cut means that each fin is pre-cut to size with the precision of a laser cutting machine. There are no crunched edges.

Plastic Nose Cone - The smooth plastic nose cone requires no finishing other than a coat of paint. Its parabolic shape is very efficient for high speed rocket flights. The fit of the BT-50 size nose cone is perfect on the standard size body tube.

Pre-cut, colorful pressure-sensitive decals - This is a big reason why it is so easy to make this rocket awesome looking. It is just a matter of applying the sticker-like decals. Since they are pre-cut for you, you'll save a lot of time applying the decals to the rocket.

Standard-size 1/8 inch Launch Lug - Works great on a standard launch pad. If you need one, we recommend the Sky Launch System. Be sure to add it to your shopping cart when ordering this rocket.

Premium Quality Body Tubes - The tubes are thin-wall to reduce weight, but are pleny strong for this model. The surface is slick and smooth, which makes marking lines on them easy. Painting is also a breeze, since the spirals are tight and require little filling.

Color-coded parts makes assembly easy. Students don't need to know technical names of the individual parts. They just grab the one that is the right color.

Durable 10" Diameter Plastic Parachute - The kit comes with a colorful chute that makes it easy to see your rocket as it comes down from super-high flights.

Simple Color Scheme - Because of the white paper body tube, you can even decorate your rocket using magic markers! This makes it great for younger kids.

The model also comes with a high-strength Kevlar^® Shock cord. Kevlar is six times stronger than steel, and is also fire proof. It can easily withstand the high heat of ejection, ensuring the rocket descends as a single piece. This makes for a very durable rocket that can be launched again and again.

Spring steel engine retainer clips allow you to swap out engines between flights in just milli-seconds. It is really that fast!

Q. What launch pad should I use to launch the Apogee Avion kit?

A. We recommend the Sky Launch System. This rocket flies just fine off this inexpensive launch pad.

Building Skill Level 1 Model Rocket Kits - A video book that shows proper building techniques, and how to handle tools, glues, and paints.

RockSim software - Find out how high the rocket will fly on any rocket motor.

69 Simple Science Fair Projects with Model Rockets - Take your rocketry learning experience to a whole new level. You can use the Apogee Avion kit in a number of science projects.

To see how the Apogee Avion rocket looks and performs with each motor configuration, download the FREE RockSim design file (click here). This file can be opened with the FREE demo version of RockSim (click here). Both Windows and Macintosh versions are available.

What is a RockSim Design file? The RockSim software gives you a lot of information about the flight characteristics of this rocket: how high, how fast, where it will land, how will it react to wind, etc. The "design file" is intended to save you time. All the parameters (size, shape, weight, fin design, etc.) of this rocket have already been entered into the RockSim program, and saved as an electronic database file. You can just open it up in your copy of RockSim and start loading different rocket motors to run launch simulations. It's fun and educational to see the rocket zoom skyward, even before you built it. For more information about RockSim and to download a FREE 30-day demo version, click here. Windows and Macintosh versions are both available.

Are you new to rocketry? Do you think you know what happens when you launch your rocket? Now you can learn about the events that occur as your rocket is launched into the air. So when you launch your rocket, you'll be prepared and you'll be able to show off your knowledge to observers watching your rocket. This article also gives you links to other references that will give you even more background information about rocketry, so you can become a true rocket scientist and expert.

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