Rocketry Planet

This is a classic Loc kit that is very popular. Many people use it to certify or as their first high power bird. I was drawn to it by it’s large appearance. For someone used to Estes rockets it appears huge. I received it as a Christmas gift and started construction immediately.

The is a fairly simple 4” rocket which makes it a good choice for you first larger rocket. I started by reading the directions over.

They are one-sided and could be more detailed. However, there are several diagrams to aid construction. My first step in construction was to assemble the motor mount.

The tube is almost two feet long so it can handle any 29mm motor. I epoxied the centering rings to either end of the motor tube with 5 minute epoxy.

Next I installed the motor mount using generous epoxy to prevent future damage.

Next came the fins. The major con about this rocket is that the fins don’t extend all the way to the motor mount. This can cause fins to separate from the airframe on hard landings.

I epoxy the fins in place and smoothed out the fillets. I then epoxied in the shock cord mount. This the usual mount for LOC, a loop epoxied directly to the side of the airframe which you tie the shock cord to.

Finally cut the launch lug and epoxy it per the directions. That’s all there is to it the kit is complete and ready to fly. 

First flight was on a G80. At ignition the rocket jammed on the rod and the lugs were ripped off.

It was determined that during construction, when I cut the lug in two the inner wall of the lug had unraveled making it tight on the rod. I replaced the cardboard lugs with brass ones.

I recommend you do this during initial construction. The second flight was flawless on another G80. After that the rocket flew on another G80, G64 and a G35, all for perfect flights.

Last flight was on another G35 and it wasn’t as picture perfect. At apogee the chute deployed but got caught on a fins and wrapped around the airframe.

The rocket came in ballistic and ended up with a kinked airframe and it was patched with 2 layers of 6 oz. fiberglass. During the repair I also added a threaded rod to the rear centering ring for motor retention.

In conclusion this is a very popular kit and I can definitely see why. Just because it’s not a new design doesn’t mean it not best. As I said before, it would make an ideal Level one certification rocket.