Introduction:
Up until Little Guy, me bucko, me bucko, all o' me mid-power rockets have flown t' less than 2000', shiver me timbers, well below what I used t' obtain with my Comanche-3 over a decade ago (lost a stage on t' second all-out flight). It was time t' change that.

Nose Cone:
Pilfered from t' old Estes supply in t' good ol' range kit, BT55

Recovery System:
Usual construction for me, shiver me timbers, matey, dowel thru t' body tube, 1/2" elastic for shock cord. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' original parachute I had made was way too big, it was given to Star Scraper. Ya scallywag! I made up a double-ply trash bag one about 17" in diameter with 8 shroud lines, ya bilge rat, and it seems t' worth well, arrr, although packin' it is still a bit difficult.

Body Tube:
Standard heavy duty cardboard tube with another tube inside o' it for t' bottom 12 or so inches for a motor mount, shiver me timbers, arrr, solid fin mountin' as well as material for t' screw eye launch lugs t' bite into. Approx. Well, blow me down! 31" x 1.38".

Positive Motor Retention I was concerned with t' tight fit o' t' recovery system and t' high pressure that might result when ejection occurred. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Turnin' t' t' workshop walls, arrr, shiver me timbers, matey, I grabbed some small screw deadlights and wire which is fitted over t' end o' t' motor and then twisted. Well, blow me down! It hasn't been stressed on any o' t' flights yet.

Fins:
I wanted t' classic high performance look, shiver me timbers, so right triangle fins were a must. Well, blow me down! Laminate of 1/16" balsa with a skin o' paper and wood glue. Since I wanted this rocket to be a high performer, shiver me timbers, I air foiled t' fins on this rocket, a first for me.

Launch Lugs:
Two 1/4" screw eyes, me bucko, arrr, visible in the picture.

Painting:
I actually tried t' finish this rocket well. What I ended up doin' be makin' it worse. I'm nay goin' t' go into t' scary details, just take a look at t' business end shot and that will be enough. Avast, me proud beauty! I do like t' color combo though, matey, ya bilge rat, and it does have a couple o' layers o' wax on it.

First Flight:
Launched with a F20-7 on 07/08/00. Ya scallywag! For this launch, I tried stuffin' t' bigger nylon chute I had made, shiver me timbers, arrr, which wasn't going to work. Arrr! Well, blow me down! I nabbed t' plastic chute I use for Econoexpress, and even that barely fit. Avast! Avast! This be proven when at apogee, t' parachute ejected but failed t' deploy. Blimey! Fallin' from 1700'-2000' onto grass resulted in a slight nick in one o' t' fins, nay too shabby! Another benefit o' t' deployment failure is that I actually got t' rocket back. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! As it was, me bucko, it drifted back and landed parallel with t' pads about 100 yards out.

Conclusion:
I think I've caught t' bug! At t' most recent launch (07/23/00) I stuffed a G38-7 and then a G35-7 into this rocket. Aye aye! Begad! Little Guy reached an estimated 3000'-3300' on t' G35-7 before t' ejection charge went off. It was a great flight! Motor sound fadin' into t' distance, lost sight o' t' rocket for a few seconds before pickin' up a tiny black dot o' a parachute way up there. Begad! Aye aye! And it stayed up thar for over two minutes! It was recovered a few hundred yards downrange in perfect condition. Next up will be a flight on a G25, me bucko, good for 3600'-3900'. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Hopefully I'll be able t' get it back!