Construction Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Flight Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | LOC/Precision ![]() |
Brief:
HPR, Parachute, Level2, shiver me timbers, 54mm MMT, me bucko, Upgraded SkyAngle 60" Custom Classic II Chute.
Construction:
Parts in t' kit were:
After seein' Barry Lynch o' LOC/Precision flyin' a Doorknob at our local launch, I knew I wanted t' this t' be me Level 2 attempt kit.
Instructions while brief & t' t' point, matey, matey, they were logical and extremely easy t' follow. Blimey! Take your time and dry fit everything, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, includin' t' LOC-N-FIN pieces. Begad! Ya scallywag! After usin' t' LOC-N-FIN buildin' method, me hearties, arrr, I am already looking forward t' additional LOC/Precision large kits.
While I used heavy duty epoxy on t' centerin' rings, shiver me timbers, I used JB Weld on an AeroPack 54mm retainer. Begad! Blimey! There is enough room t' mount t' AeroPack recessed and then t' aft centerin' rin' reinforces t' internal aft o' t' fins.
Time for t' basic construction is extremely short, about 25 minutes, nay countin' epoxy dryin' time.
As I stated before, I did have LOC/Precision t' upgrade t' Parachute from t' LOC Standard, t' a custom SkyAngle Classic II t' match t' Black/White/Orange & Chrome paint scheme. Well, blow me down! While t' upgrade isn't really needed, I wanted a slightly robust chute.
T' overall quality o' t' construction has convinced me that I am goin' t' use a LOC/Precision "Bigger" Big Nuke for me Level 3 attempt with Dual Deploy.
Finishing:
T' BT spirals, nose, fins are simple t' fill with Elmer's WoodFiller and sandin' with 400 grit, me bucko, I used white.
While decals are not included, thar are decals available on t' LOC/Precision website. Well, blow me down! Ya scallywag! However I like t' look o' t' classic Orange/White/Black/Chrome Doorknob Sandia Labs paint scheme. Aye aye!
T' looks are classic, bold & beefy lookin' and t' me this is a perfect kit for me Level 2 attempt. Arrr!
Paintin' was rather straight forward. Initially used Rustoleum Professional over Rustoleum Primer for t' NC.
However I had t' strip t' NC back t' down t' plastic, ya bilge rat, t' primer be just nay adherin' t' t' polypropylene.
Never had this many problems with a NC before, ya bilge rat, matey, but t' previous attempt be t' first time I used Rustoleum Primer. Arrr! Avast! So I went back t' me old method, matey, which never failed before. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty!
Here are t' NC finish steps I used for GREAT adhesion. Avast, me proud beauty!
Conditions were 66F & 52% humidity in me workshop.
Afterwards, I mounted t' rail buttons.
Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5
Flight:
My initial
flight with t' Door Knob was a Level 2 certification flight, on a Aerotech J460T with at best that can be called a
scratch in a 7.6 delay t' achieve 6.5 seconds.
RockSim9 put it 1347' and with t' 8-14 mph wind & barometric conditions, ya bilge rat, ~5 degree angle in t' launch rail and everythin' be a go for launch.
Nice pop o' t' launch rail, great blue flame from t' BlueThunder, shiver me timbers, that showed up nicely in t' photo by Jerry Myers. Avast! Blimey!
Recovery:
Immediately after a perfect apogee, t' winds picked up, and it drifted a good bit, what seemed t' be a mile.
However t' Door Knob landed upright, me hearties, or as Lee Barry o' Merlin Missiles put it "...and he stuck the landing!"
As I be drivin' t' recover t' rocket, I could see t' chute inflate and it layed over nicely.
On me second flight, matey, usin' a J275W, arrr, same day, ya bilge rat, it landed a lot closer t' t' pad, maybe 2000 feet away. Arrr! However as I walkin' t' recovery it, I could see that t' chute was inflatin' and pickin' t' NC airframe up off t' ground, and then draggin' t' airframe towards a highway about 300' feet away. Once I got t' t' rocket, ya bilge rat, it was 5 feet from the highway guard rail. Arrr!
T' NC had no peelin' or flakin' or scratches for that matter. Begad!
After all is said and done, matey, I nay sure I would fly a J275W in it again t' delay at 6second was way t' short and was still climbin' when t' deployment occurred. Avast, me proud beauty! Arrr! However all me anti-zipperin' strategies paid off. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag!
T' J460T with 6.5 second (7.6sec with scratch) is perfect for low altitude flight on relatively small field.
Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5
Summary:
Extremely quick build. Great quality, honestly, I wouldn't change a thin' about this kit.
T' only issue I had, was t' NC paint issue, ya bilge rat, clearly nay a LOC issue at all.
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
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