Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
How do you go from zero to hero in the shortest amount of time? In this Advanced Construction Video, Tim Van Milligan maps the exact route from your first beginner kit to a Level 2 high-power certification. He walks through the kit progression he recommends — the Apprentice and Avion starter kits, the Upload, the Mako, and the Zephyr — and explains why each step matters: through-the-wall fins, nylon parachutes, screw-on engine retainers, and launching from rails instead of whippy rods.
Tim also shares the shortcuts that compress years of experience: the Model Rocket Design and Construction book, and RockSim flight simulation with its launch visualizer. Then he gets into his hard-won Level 2 advice — fly single deployment instead of dual, build bigger and heavier, and use a 54mm motor instead of a 38mm on your certification flight.
What You’ll Learn in This Video
✔ The kit ladder: Apprentice & Avion → Upload → Mako → Zephyr
✔ What through-the-wall fins, nylon parachutes, and screw-on retainers teach you
✔ Launch rails vs. launch rods — and why rails fly straighter
✔ Why the Zephyr is the most popular Level 1 certification kit
✔ How the book + RockSim shortcut your learning curve
✔ Single deployment vs. dual deployment for your certification flight
✔ Why a 54mm motor beats a 38mm on your Level 2 attempt
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How do you go from zero to hero in the shortest amount of time? In this Advanced Construction Video, Tim Van Milligan maps the exact route from your first beginner kit to a Level 2 high-power certification. He walks through the kit progression he recommends — the Apprentice and Avion starter kits, the Upload, the Mako, and the Zephyr — and explains why each step matters: through-the-wall fins, nylon parachutes, screw-on engine retainers, and launching from rails instead of whippy rods.
Tim also shares the shortcuts that compress years of experience: the Model Rocket Design and Construction book, and RockSim flight simulation with its launch visualizer. Then he gets into his hard-won Level 2 advice — fly single deployment instead of dual, build bigger and heavier, and use a 54mm motor instead of a 38mm on your certification flight.
What You’ll Learn in This Video
✔ The kit ladder: Apprentice & Avion → Upload → Mako → Zephyr
✔ What through-the-wall fins, nylon parachutes, and screw-on retainers teach you
✔ Launch rails vs. launch rods — and why rails fly straighter
✔ Why the Zephyr is the most popular Level 1 certification kit
✔ How the book + RockSim shortcut your learning curve
✔ Single deployment vs. dual deployment for your certification flight
✔ Why a 54mm motor beats a 38mm on your Level 2 attempt
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to get 50 FREE rocket plans, plus notifications when new videos and Peak-of-Flight articles are released! - apogeerockets.com/Newsletter-Subscribe
