PML Bulldog feedback

[dixontj93060]

I'm stealing some "in between" shop time away from my L3 build to construct a PML Bulldog (some pics attached). In playing around with the main airframe now installed on the tailcone (tipping it over and such), it is obvious that the canard fins are probably at a 50-50 chance of getting a nice "punch" upon landing (not to mention if the chute opens and drags the airframe). It seems like these things are going to be a real PITA. Just wondering for those that have built this kit: Have you had problems with the canard fins? What measures have you taken to protect them? (I can guess this, but I'm really wondering how far you have needed to go to get them to stay in place). Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[rockie]

I dont have the bulldog but the bullpuppy. Only flown it once and a canard fin caught the nomex sheild and ripped a nice little hole in it. Guess the same thing could happen to the chute !

 

[dixontj93060]

Not so much worried about the chute--it will be in a deployed in a controlled manner away from the canard fins via a deployment bag and a Defy Gravity tether system at 800 feet or so.

I dont have the bulldog but the bullpuppy. Only flown it once and a canard fin caught the nomex sheild and ripped a nice little hole in it. Guess the same thing could happen to the chute !

 

[dixontj93060]

Not a single comment or opinion--surprising...

So I just went ahead an put two layers of 3 oz. satin draped over the canards to provide sort of a cantilever effect so they won't pop off during recovery.

Since I had some West System left over I also put a layer of glass inside the "coupler" style open fiberglass nosecone (the coupler only had 1.5" of overlap with the fiberglass body).

 

[rocket9005]

I built a Bull Puppy a few years ago, and I left the canards off. I filled the dado slots in the front of the tube with 30 minute epoxy & micro balloons, and sanded it smooth. This was an old kit so it had phenolic tubes. I have never worked with the "quantum" tubing, and I don't think that I want to... but that's another story.

 

[dixontj93060]

Yes, thought about foregoing the canards, but that was a little to much deviation for me from what is already a "sport" scale rocket.

Not a QT man myself either.

I built a Bull Puppy a few years ago, and I left the canards off. I filled the dado slots in the front of the tube with 30 minute epoxy & micro balloons, and sanded it smooth. This was an old kit so it had phenolic tubes. I have never worked with the "quantum" tubing, and I don't think that I want to... but that's another story.

 

[burkefj]

I know this is a necro thread, I just got one of these partially assembled from a friend who had passed away, what I did was to cut the dado slot portion of the tube off the top, get rid of the piston, add a mid mounted plate to connect recovery to and push the chute closer to the top. I slotted the nose cone and installed the canards just into the nose section which will take them away from the booster...I have a single deply altimeter bay mounted in a 54mm tube that I attach inside the body tube against the plate and vents out to the outside and that fires the main and backup main, I won't fly this super high and don't use motor ejection.

Frank

 

[n3tjm]

I had a PML Bull Puppy. Flew it many times, didn't have any issues with the canards from what I remember. The BP got lost on a G powered flight and I miss that little rocket.

I would recommend fiber glassing the outside of that phenolic tubing. Phenolic is very brittle.