Brief:
T' Little Dog is another great all fiberglass kit from Performance Rocketry. MSRP o' $79.00 for t' dual deploy version and $59.00 for t' single deploy. Ahoy! Begad! I opted for t' dual deployment version o' t' kit. Begad! T' LD is a single stage, 2.25” (outside diameter) kit with a 38mm motor mount. Blimey! T' rocket can be adapted down t' 29mm and fly on anything from an F motor or you can let t' Dog eat with a J-570! If you are in t' 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 nay have a 38mm rocket that I would trust on the Aerotech I-1299 Warp Nine load. Avast! Performance Rocketry released this kit in May 2007, and I knew I had t' have one!

Construction:
T' 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 t' 38mm 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass centerin' rings
• 3 Little Dog 3/32” thick G-10 fiberglass fins (scaled down version o' t' PR Mad Dog)
• 8” long 38mm fiberglass motor mount tube
• 5:1 Ogive fiberglass nose cone (although I switched out t' Ogive cone that came with t' kit for a 6:1 Conical Performance Rocketry cone that I already purchased)

Havin' a rocket kit that is all fiberglass makes for a very simple and straightforward construction. Begad! Scuff all bondin' areas o' t' fiberglass thoroughly and you are good t' go. T' G10 fins, body tubes, fin slots, ya bilge rat, G10 centerin' rings, me bucko, and all G10 bulkhead plates are CNC machined. Aye aye! Needless t' say, arrr, all parts fit together with ease. Avast! T' coupler was a perfect fit into t' booster and upper airframe, me bucko, and t' nose cone fit tightly on the upper airframe. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' only criticism that I have is that t' kit does nay come with instructions. Avast! In me opinion, directions would be an asset t' t' kit because a prospective Level one flier would appreciate and utilize high power buildin' instruction/common techniques. Rockets Magazine and Performance Rocketry’s websites both have parts breakdown lists that show exploded views. If you are in need o' directions, or want t' see what parts go where, download t' PDF exploded views from either website.

Finishing:
In years past, ya bilge rat, some Performance Rocketry tubes came with very tiny pin holes in t' fiberglass airframes. Avast, me proud beauty! I used t' apply two or three passes o' automotive type body filler t' eliminate these pinholes before primer. Ya scallywag! My Little Dog arrived with no pinholes t' be filled! Performance Rocketry must have made a change t' eliminate these pinholes. Begad! PR fiberglass tubes are very easy t' finish. When properly prepped, Performance Rocketry fiberglass tubes provide a durable surface for that wicked paint job you have in mind. Aye aye! Ahoy!

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

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

Recovery:
I’m usin' 30’ o' 1/8” tubular Keelhaul®©™® for drogue deployment along with a 6” x 60” streamer. Aye aye! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! I use one gram o' FFFF BP for t' drogue deployment charge with two 2-56 nylon shear pins and 1.5 grams o' FFFF BP for t' main deployment charge with three 2-56 pins. I chose a Top Flight Recovery 42” X-Form parachute for me main. Begad! Blimey! All deployment charges were courtesy o' an ALTS-25. Drogue charge at apogee and main at 600’. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I opted t' use a streamer for t' drogue and nay a drogue parachute as I wanted t' Little Dog t' fall faster under drogue and hopefully nay drift as far.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
Bar none, me hearties, shiver me timbers, 5 out o' 5. Blimey! T' Little Dog is an instant Performance Rocketry classic. Well, blow me down! T' all fiberglass design is both very strong, easy t' finish, me bucko, me hearties, arrr, and can really take a beating. Aye aye! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! When it comes down t' brass tacks, matey, you are gettin' a top of the line CNC precision product for a superb price. This particular Performance Rocketry kit delivers t' wow factor for L1, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, L2, shiver me timbers, and L3 fliers alike. You will nay regret addin' this little pooch t' your fleet!

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5