LOC/Precision EZI-65

LOC/Precision - EZI-65 {Kit} (PK-11) [1985-]

Contributed by Tai Fu

Construction Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Flight Rating: starstarstarstarstar
Overall Rating: starstarstarstarstar_border
Diameter: 4.00 inches
Manufacturer: LOC/Precision
Style: Sport

Rocket PicBrief:
This rocket is a high power flight capable, bein' large it is supposed t' make a low and slow flight. Aye aye! I am writin' this review because John Cocker's review does nay seem detailed enough and his article is for Level 2 capable EZI-65 but that would be overkill if one only wants t' use this rocket for his Level 1. Begad!

Construction:
T' kit came in a plastic bag, one long tube with slots for airframe, me hearties, and one shorter tube as a payload section. Ya scallywag! T' nose cone is quite large. Well, blow me down! It came with only 2 plywood centerin' rings, ya bilge rat, and I recommend gettin' an additional centering rin' o' t' same size. T' motor mount tube is a little short, ya bilge rat, matey, it is better to get somethin' a little longer, arrr, but t' stock should be okay. T' fins are regular plywood. Begad! Avast! Unlike t' LOC IV which has through-the-wall fins but nay to the motor mount, this kit's fins goes t' t' motor mount which is one o' the reasons why I chose it over t' LOC IV. Begad! Ahoy! T' shock cord is standard nylon elastic which be t' same kind as in your underpants, only that it should stay where it belongs, in your underpants. Get at least 20 ft o' tubular nylon or Keelhaul®©™®, if you use nylon somehow protect t' first 3 ft o' t' nylon from ejection charge, or else after a few flights t' nylon will burn and break. Ya scallywag! Blimey! I don't recommend usin' t' LOC shock cord mount either, instead get an eye bolt and some washers. Drill a hole in one o' t' centerin' rings and bolt t' eye bolt and put washer betwixt t' eye and t' centerin' rin' and another between the centerin' rin' and t' nut. Ahoy! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Make sure t' eye is parallel t' t' airframe as you will nay have much space for t' eyebolt. Begad! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Attach a quick link t' the eyebolt, shiver me timbers, and ALWAYS put some epoxy on t' thread o' t' eyebolt (but NOT the quick link!) because you won't have access t' t' other side o' t' centering rin' in case t' eyebolt/nuts loosens. One thin' I like about quick links is that it allows you t' basically disassemble t' rocket and remove all the recovery harness t' make it easier t' paint.

If one has good experience with buildin' LPR kits, one should nay need the instructions. Aye aye! I never read t' instructions while puttin' together t' kit, so I can't comment on that, but I do know t' instructions comes on t' back of the card o' t' packaging. T' rocket is very large when put together, if one has nay built rockets weightin' over a pound, ya bilge rat, this rocket will surprise you! I haven't built many rocket weightin' over a pound except t' NCR Lance Beta and this rocket makes t' Lance Beta look like a dwarf!

One thin' about t' fin attachments, me hearties, do use internal fillets after gluing the fins in place. I recommend 3 CR's because one centerin' rin' would go on top o' t' MMT (that's t' one with t' eyebolt and quick links, me bucko, make sure the eye faces up!) and a second CR goes on top o' t' fin tab. (Before doin' any of this please try t' peel off t' glassine layer o' t' MMT, shiver me timbers, me bucko, it allows t' glue to soak in makin' a stronger bond.) After t' glue cures glue t' whole assembly (MMT) into t' tube, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, makin' sure t' second CR lines up with t' top of t' slots. Begad! Then glue each fin and fillet t' inside. Arrr! After all t' joints inside has been filleted and t' glue has cured, go ahead and glue in t' last CR. I know it's a bit o' an overkill t' do internal fillets, matey, but it's better safe than sorry (this rocket will be me L1 cert flight so I want t' make sure nothin' goes wrong...)

Finishing:
Always take t' nose cone, me hearties, wash it with soap and water t' remove t' release agents. Aye aye! Blimey! Even after doin' this t' paint still doesn't like t' stick t' t' nose cone... Avast, me proud beauty! I used Polyfiber UV fill prime, at 38 dollars a quart it is a bit too expensive but it sands like a dream and it might be a good idea t' use anyway since UV lights will damage epoxy and your rocket is held together with epoxy so its better t' keep them out. Begad! A few coats on t' rocket and wait a few hours makin' sure t' primer dried, then sand, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, sand, sand! Blimey! This stuff sands as good Rocket Picas Elmer's wood filler. Ahoy! I then took t' rocket apart since this is such a large rocket, me hearties, I painted t' nose cone and t' payload and t' body section separately. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! Blimey! I painted t' nose cone gold and t' payload is painted red with black roll patterns, and t' body is white with a red fin can. Arrr! Blimey! I used krylon and after everythin' dried I went over with clear coat then Lacquer and it makes a very shiny and glossy finish.

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
My first flight on a G80 is very good, ya bilge rat, perfect boost and recovery despite the strong wind. Well, blow me down! I be goin' t' certify on this rocket so I had t' make sure everythin' works t' way it is supposed t' work. Avast! Ya scallywag! T' parachute came out at apogee and it drifted quite a bit (because o' t' wind). Arrr! Avast! I had t' walk a bit to get t' rocket back, me bucko, it landed without damage.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I feel this rocket is good and it is easy t' put together. Avast! Begad! Anyone who puts together a LPR should be able t' put this kit together, me hearties, however t' shock cord isn't that good, me hearties, and they could use a longer motor mount.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5

Other Reviews
  • LOC/Precision EZI-65 By John Coker

    ( Contributed - by John Coker)  Note: For more EZI pictures, visit John's site. The Loc/Precision EZI-65 kit is the rocket which is supposed to get me my Tripoli level 2 certification. This is a high-performance rocket which is reasonably stable and should give outstanding flights on I and J motors. (Of course, as is typical for me, I've done things backwards and have already ...

Flights

Comments:

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Y.L. (December 24, 2001)
This is the ideal level 1 cert kit. If you expect to use it with bigger motors and don't want to glass it, one thing you can do is trim down the fins just a bit so they are closer to LOC/Onyx fins in terms of shape. This reduces the risk of fin flutter which is what causes most of the shreds when flying this bird on high-thrust motors. Another thing you should do is slot the tube to the bottom so you can build the fin can outside the rocket, and then slide the entire assembly in. This will let you create a very strong fin can assembly. Finally, don't forget positive motor retention [Kaplow klips]. I've modified mine to use the zipperless technique [see Rocketry Online InfoCenral]. I've flown mine on an H180, H220 and I357 without any problems.
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JT (May 13, 2002)
I have been a LOC fan for a very long time, Ron & Deb have treated me very well, and now Barry continues the great customer service! I purchased my EZI-65 kit recently to be built specifically for flights with Hybrid motors in hilly/tree terrain. I launch from my house and have alot of room, but the hills and trees won't leave! I made the following changes when ordering my kit: 3rd centering ring, long MMT, longer Payload for Dual deploy, E-bay, two 9/16" x 20' tube Ny cords, 12"x12" Kevlar® wadders w heat-sok on first 6 in, 18" drogue, 50" main, custom made longer fins with nicer delta in "Fin can", pull wire conduit, drogue deploy conduit, 3/8" alum fuel line at 11" up for liquid NOS venting, dual alts with a pocket for Walston retrieval (to find in my trees). Launched on HyperTek I205 first for 1800ft, then J115 for 3800ft. Deployments have been perfect so far! See a launch with a JFX/I225 fuel grain for a demonstration at an airshow (A HREF=?http://www.case-enterprises.com/download/photos/jt-ezi-65-mod.mpg? TARGET=?_new?>here. I would recommend buying from LOC if you are fairly comfortable building rockets, the directions are clear, but expect a certain amount of knowledge from the get go. I'll give it 4.75 of 5 (since I ordered it the way I wanted!)

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