Brief:
The Little Dog is another great all fiberglass kit from Performance Rocketry. MSRP of $79.00 for the dual deploy version and $59.00 for the single deploy. I opted for the dual deployment version of the kit. The LD is a single stage, 2.25” (outside diameter) kit with a 38mm motor mount. The rocket can be adapted down to 29mm and fly on anything from an F motor or you can let the Dog eat with a J-570! If you are in the market for a 38mm motor work horse that comes with all fiberglass quality parts, this is a kit for you! I would highly recommend this kit for NAR/TRA Level One certification as well. I "needed" this kit because I did not have a 38mm rocket that I would trust on the Aerotech I-1299 Warp Nine load. Performance Rocketry released this kit in May 2007, and I knew I had to have one!

Construction:
The box contained:

• 25” fiberglass lower airframe
• 16” fiberglass upper airframe
• 6” fiberglass coupler tube
• 1 54mm 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass nose cone bulkhead plates
• 2 54mm 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass bulkhead plates
• 2 54mm 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass coupler bulkhead plates
• 2 54mm to 38mm 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass centering rings
• 3 Little Dog 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass fins (scaled down version of the PR Mad Dog)
• 8” long 38mm fiberglass motor mount tube
• 5:1 Ogive fiberglass nose cone (although I switched out the Ogive cone that came with the kit for a 6:1 Conical Performance Rocketry cone that I already purchased)

Having a rocket kit that is all fiberglass makes for a very simple and straightforward construction. Scuff all bonding areas of the fiberglass thoroughly and you are good to go. The G10 fins, body tubes, fin slots, G10 centering rings, and all G10 bulkhead plates are CNC machined. Needless to say, all parts fit together with ease. The coupler was a perfect fit into the booster and upper airframe, and the nose cone fit tightly on the upper airframe. The only criticism that I have is that the kit does not come with instructions. In my opinion, directions would be an asset to the kit because a prospective Level one flier would appreciate and utilize high power building instruction/common techniques. Rockets Magazine and Performance Rocketry’s websites both have parts breakdown lists that show exploded views. If you are in need of directions, or want to see what parts go where, download the PDF exploded views from either website.

Finishing:
In years past, some Performance Rocketry tubes came with very tiny pin holes in the fiberglass airframes. I used to apply two or three passes of automotive type body filler to eliminate these pinholes before primer. My Little Dog arrived with no pinholes to be filled! Performance Rocketry must have made a change to eliminate these pinholes. PR fiberglass tubes are very easy to finish. When properly prepped, Performance Rocketry fiberglass tubes provide a durable surface for that wicked paint job you have in mind.

Construction Rating: 5 out of 5

Flight:
My first flight of the PR Little Dog was not a kind one! I used the Aerotech I-1299 Warp Nine! The half second burn motor tore the rocket up the 8’ rail and continued to 3800’. Even though the Little Dog pulled upwards of 90Gs, it came back in perfect condition, ready for more action! The LD flew straight and true, dual deployed properly, and was later recovered even though the I-1299 trashed the AA battery in my tracker. Unfortunately, I have only logged one flight on my Little Dog to date. The next flight will be an Aerotech J-350 or J-570.

Recovery:
I’m using 30’ of 1/8” tubular Kevlar® for drogue deployment along with a 6” x 60” streamer. I use one gram of FFFF BP for the drogue deployment charge with two 2-56 nylon shear pins and 1.5 grams of FFFF BP for the main deployment charge with three 2-56 pins. I chose a Top Flight Recovery 42” X-Form parachute for my main. All deployment charges were courtesy of an ALTS-25. Drogue charge at apogee and main at 600’. I opted to use a streamer for the drogue and not a drogue parachute as I wanted the Little Dog to fall faster under drogue and hopefully not drift as far.

Flight Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Bar none, 5 out of 5. The Little Dog is an instant Performance Rocketry classic. The all fiberglass design is both very strong, easy to finish, and can really take a beating. When it comes down to brass tacks, you are getting a top of the line CNC precision product for a superb price. This particular Performance Rocketry kit delivers the wow factor for L1, L2, and L3 fliers alike. You will not regret adding this little pooch to your fleet!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5