Introduction:
Up until Little Guy, ya bilge rat, all o' me mid-power rockets have flown t' less than 2000', matey, arrr, well below what I used t' obtain with my Comanche-3 over a decade ago (lost a stage on t' second all-out flight). Well, blow me down! Arrr! It was time t' change that.

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

Recovery System:
Usual construction for me, dowel thru t' body tube, me hearties, arrr, 1/2" elastic for shock cord. Blimey! Begad! T' original parachute I had made was way too big, it be given to Star Scraper. Blimey! Well, blow me down! I made up a double-ply trash bag one about 17" in diameter with 8 shroud lines, and it seems t' worth well, 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, solid fin mountin' as well as material for t' screw eye launch lugs t' bite into. Approx. Avast! 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. Arrr! Turnin' t' t' workshop walls, I grabbed some small screw deadlights and wire which is fitted over t' end o' t' motor and then twisted. It hasn't been stressed on any o' t' flights yet.

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

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

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

First Flight:
Launched with a F20-7 on 07/08/00. Begad! Begad! For this launch, I tried stuffin' t' bigger nylon chute I had made, matey, arrr, which wasn't going to work. I nabbed t' plastic chute I use for Econoexpress, and even that barely fit. Begad! This be proven when at apogee, t' parachute ejected but failed t' deploy. 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. As it was, me hearties, it drifted back and landed parallel with t' pads about 100 yards out.

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