Brief:
This is a large single staged rocket by LOC Precision (Stock #PK-77) which has a 54mm motor tube which is designed t' fly on I, J and K motors. Ahoy! Ahoy! I selected this rocket t' do me Tripoli L2 Certification flight with. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! I ordered it from Quickburst.Net in October 2004 and had it in a few days. Blimey!

Construction:
T' components included with t' kit were o' overall fine quality as can be expected from LOC. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! T' kit came in a large box and contained:

• 1 Main 54mm Motor Mount Tube
• 1 Parachute - 60" Rip Stop Nylon
• 1 Payload Airframe Section 17" x 5.5"
• 1 Plywood Bulkhead Plate Assembly
• 1 Fin Set
• 1 Main Airframe 34" x 5.5"
• 1 Shock Cord Mount Centerin' Ring
• 2 Launch Lugs
• 1 Shock Cord (Tubular Nylon)
• 2 Main Centerin' Rings
• 1 Fin Guide
• 1 Plastic Nose Cone (5.5" R.W.W.)
• 1 Shock Cord Mount Hardware Set (Eye-Bolts)
• 1 PK-77 Color 8.5" Insert & Instructions

Modifications:
This kit was enjoyable t' build and it was (and still is) me largest rocket ever. Ahoy! I made a good number o' modifications t' this rocket so it's nay exactly stock by any means. Well, blow me down! Begad! It's name be t' "Bigger Big Nuke". Arrr! Ahoy! Here are the ways that I enhanced this rocket:

1) I added an extra 24" x 5.5" LOC Airframe and coupler t' the main airframe t' stretch t' rocket by a few feet. This was t' add stability by movin' t' CG further forward from t' CP in order t' allow for a heavier than normal build. Ahoy! So instead o' standin' at 6 feet tall by kit design, me bucko, this craft stands at 8 foot 5 inches tall. Blimey! Well, blow me down!

2) I discarded t' entire recovery system that came with t' rocket includin' t' fore o' three motor mount centerin' rings that LOC calls the "Shock Cord Mount Centerin' Ring". Aye aye! Expectin' a heavier than stock build I designed me own recovery system. Blimey!

T' begin with I replaced t' stock non-forged eye-bolts that came with the kit, me hearties, with 1/4" Stainless Steel U-Bolts from Lowes hardware. They are considerably more expensive (cost ratio o' about 20x) than t' eye-bolts that came with t' kit, however in me opinion they are worth t' expense as insurance. Aye aye! An eye-bolt that is nay forged in one piece, or later welded shut, will over time start t' stretch out and will eventually fail. Thanks t' Chad Ellis and Jon Ruehle for help with that research. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad!

Next I replaced t' fore o' three motor mount centerin' rings that LOC calls t' "Shock Cord Mount Centerin' Ring". Avast! It had a single 1/4" hole drilled in it in order t' seat t' included eye-bolt. Since a U-Bolt requires two 1/4" holes instead o' drillin' another in what was included I ordered some rings from Quickburst.Net and drilled one o' them out with two 1/4" holes. I was able t' move t' U-Bolt out just a little more away from t' top o' t' motor tube that way, thus allowin' for a motor longer than t' tube itself t' slide up past t' base mount and quicklink. Well, blow me down!

I discarded t' tubular nylon that came with t' kit due t' t' fact that tubular nylon is nay fire resistant and it will fail over time. Ahoy! It will fail when a section has been charred by ejection and snap in half at that point on a later flight, or it can even fail with no prior damage when comin' into direct contact with an ejection charge. Blimey! Well, since t' recovery harness / shock cord will frequently encounter ejection charges (like every time you fly the rocket), I selected Keelhaul®©™®. Usin' stainless steel quick links (also from Lowes, me bucko, also expensive but the strongest thar are), I attached a 35 foot section o' 2" Keelhaul®©™® strap. It is sold by Giant Leap in Louisiana and www.the-motorman.com in Houston. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Once again this is very expensive material as this strap alone was over $50. Avast! But I think it's t' safest way t' go when thinkin' about t' weight you are launching. Begad! I then added another 40 feet o' Tubular Keelhaul®©™® (a little cheaper than t' strap material and has some minimal shock absorbance.)

Finally I selected a nice strong 72" TAC-1 parachute. Blimey!

3) T' most difficult part o' this build was cuttin' out t' fin slots. Aye aye! Blimey! I was under t' impression that t' kit came with t' fin slots already cut, yet the slots that were in t' main airframe were only about 3" long where the base o' t' fins is 15.5". Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! Also they were about half t' thickness o' the fins, arrr, thus only useful as a guide. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! I started out usin' an Exacto knife and worked for many hours just on t' first slot. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Finally I purchased a Dremel cutter t' finish t' job. Avast! Blimey! Begad! Blimey! Always use safety glasses with Dremel cutters or any power tool. Arrr! Blimey! When finishin' t' last slot I broke about 6 cuttin' disks. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! When they come apart (they are designed t' break) they become projectiles. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Well over 90% o' t' work on buildin' this rocket went into just cuttin' t' fin slots.

I built t' fin can outside t' rocket by cuttin' t' fin slots all t' way to t' aft end o' t' airframe. Avast! Thanks t' Jon Ruehle o' Challenger for hosting a "Glass Class' at his shop in Houston, and t' Tim Berg for t' last minute suggestion, I glassed t' fins onto t' motor mount. Begad! (See Photos) I had first removed t' glassine layer from t' motor tube t' establish prime adhesion.

T' build was wrapped up with slidin' t' fin can in one night, me bucko, addin' a touch of fiberglass t' t' inside o' t' airframe at t' internal fin roots, ya bilge rat, some external epoxy fillets and t' bulkhead with SS U-Bolt. I then attached a Giant Leap 54mm Slimline motor retainer with JB Weld. Ahoy! After about a week o' work, me bucko, a few hours each night, me hearties, t' rocket was done. Avast!

Finishing:
I coated t' entire rocket with about two t' three layers o' Kilz white sandable primer. Well, blow me down! White was selected as it is a good base for a bright neon fluorescent paint job. Ya scallywag! Begad! As this rocket was designed for a single mission, t' get my Tripoli L2 Certification, me hearties, which includes bein' able t' see and find the thing, I used about 4 cans o' RustOleum Specialty (#1955) Day-Glo Fluorescent Red-Orange. Avast, me proud beauty! This has in fact helped t' locate it on multiple occasions (see photos and flight logs). Ya scallywag!

I am going to rate this rocket at 4.0 o' 5.0. Blimey! If t' fin slots were cut t' t' proper length and width it would have sliced off about 8 hours and a week o' build time. And while t' stock recovery system will work, it just gets by, as it in my opinion is nay t' be trusted for repeated flights. Ahoy! Begad! Eye-bolts will stretch out and fail, ya bilge rat, and tubular nylon will fail over time. Aye aye! I understand that this type o' recovery system is somewhat standard in HPR kits, very likely t' keep costs low, arrr, but please do yourself and everyone at your range a huge favor and upgrade your recovery system if you want t' do it right. Ya scallywag!

Also, me hearties, instead o' usin' t' supplied launch lugs, I attached two single body Delrin buttons from railbuttons.com. Ahoy! Blimey! For t' maiden voyage I used t' series 1500 5/16" large buttons which required a special rail which me Tripoli Prefect brought. Aye aye! I then installed t' standard size series 1000 Delrin's on the other side which I have used since. Begad! Well, me bucko, blow me down! Blimey! They fit most all rails. Well, blow me down! Blimey!

Construction Rating: 4 out o' 5

Flight:
T' five flights t' date have been really nice. Avast! My L2 Cert flight be delayed due t' weather a few times, which only added t' t' anxiety. Blimey! T' first flight was planned for November 20th, 2004 at t' Hearne Texas Municipal Airport durin' t' annual Crossroads o' Texas Rocketry Festival sponsored by the Northwest Houston Rocketry Association and t' NASA Houston Rocket Club. Cloud cover prevented t' flight due t' Tripoli regulations. And then came t' rain and lightnin' storm.

T' second attempt was t' be t' followin' weekend at t' Hippodrome in Hutto Texas at a launch sponsored by t' Austin Area Rocketry Group. Begad! Blimey! That launch be scrubbed at about 9pm t' night before due t' a large amount of rain. Ahoy! Blimey!

Finally a launch window opened up on none other than January 1st, 2005. What a way t' start t' new year! On 1/1/5 I launched this rocket at Alpha Ranch in Waller County Texas on a Cesaroni Pro54 J-380 Smokey Sam with a manually set 6 second ProDat54 bored delay. Ahoy!

Upon arrivin' at t' launch site I be glad t' see rocketry friends Chad Ellis, shiver me timbers, Chase Hrncir and Mike Williams (L3) early that morning.

Perhaps due t' the several months o' delays due t' weather I be on t' nervous side. After all, you can only do your first L2 attempt once, me hearties, and I wanted it t' work perfect. Ya scallywag! It did. Ya scallywag! Apogee ejection was perfect (I added another 2 grams o' BP t' t' stock CTI Pro54 J380 ejection charge), ya bilge rat, and thanks t' winds gustin' up t' 20 mph, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, it was a long walk. Well over a mile, but I found it safe and sound in a cow pasture nay too far from a small lake. Arrr! No damage at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! I sat for a breather on t' shore o' that little lake which when I first saw it, matey, I feared t' rocket may have landed in it. Avast! It had landed about 200 feet t' t' north o' it. I was so far from t' ranch that it launched from that t' houses could barely been seen in t' distance. Ya scallywag! Carryin' t' thin' back over me shoulder took well over an hour and I was surprised at how much more work it is t' haul such a heavy rocket back.

I certified Tripoli Level 2 on 1/1/5 in t' book for TRA Section #002, matey, (the first Tripoli section in Texas, shiver me timbers, second in t' world) with t' signature o' Mr. Dan DeHart, me Tripoli Prefect. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye!

T' second flight was a week later on January 8th 2005 at t' Hearne Texas Airport. Well, blow me down! I repeated t' L2 flight on another CTI Pro54 J380-6. Well, blow me down! Begad! Winds were real low that day so I selected me first K motor for t' third flight, t' largest Cesaroni motor thar be that has motor ejection, me hearties, arrr, a CTI Pro54 K650SS. Aye aye! Ahoy! That was beautiful. Avast! Landed in t' field even with apogee deployment o' main as I had never used electronics before. Ahoy! Blimey! I estimate t' flight at 5000-5500 feet perhaps my first mile high flight. Well, blow me down! Wish I had had a computer onboard t' log that. Ahoy!

Fourth flight was 6-11-5 again at Hearne. Selected a nice long 4.1 second burn CTI Pro54 J295 and set t' delay at 10. Ahoy! Perfect, shiver me timbers, landed in t' field. Aye aye!

Fifth flight was 8-13-5 again at Hearne and again on a nice long 4.1 second burn J295-10. Aye aye! Apogee perfect landed in t' field. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey!

Recovery:
Flight recovery has been as well as can be expected for a single, shiver me timbers, me bucko, apogee motor deploy high powered rocket that has only been flown on J's and a K. Begad!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I am very pleased with this rocket, in fact so pleased that today I ordered a 75mm version with an electronics bay, called t' LOC Big Nuke 3E. Begad! Mine will be called t' "Even Bigger Big Nuke" and I added another 40" airframe t' stretch it up t' about 11 feet in height. Aye aye! With t' use of electronics and dual deployment, matey, frequent K and L range flights should be normal. Begad!

Thanks t' t' Houston Area Rocket Clubs for t' help with me L2. Begad! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey!

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5