Indiana LOC Magnum L2 build...it's an 88 Magnum.

This will be my first build thread and building this rocket ultimately for LDRS and for my NAR and TRA L2 attempt. The plan is to PASS on May 17th at Buckeye Blast or the week after at mini Midwest power in IL.

Also the plan will possibly be motor deploy but I do have an AV bay and will prepare for DD shortly after L2 attempt.

Why the build thread? A couple reasons -
1. this is a learning process and there is a wealth of information that you guys / gals can hopefully pass on . Im a simple guy and want to be a simple build - but I also want to learn more techniques.
2. Also I've never been to a big launch, I envision the powers that be at LDRS goin "who are you? And " your flying that on a what??" But maybe I'm overthinking that, but at least I can show them the build thread and either put their minds at ease or scare the crap out of them. However this is most likely unnecessary , liming at the featured flights I'm small potatoes, and this will be like an Estes alpha to all the others, still.
3. I'm holding 4-H workshops and hopefully can pass this on to others in my area, we need a fields and more flyers bad around here right now.



Glassing ? I plan on it, just glasses my first tube today and frankly I have room for improvement, so will practice during the build thread



Of course have to dry fit . This is by far my largest rocket yet and only
My second true HPR. I love my madcow super Batray but really like the big ones, I'm not concerned with high altitude or Mach, I want to see the entire flight, low, slow , loud and lots of smoke.

I bought the Magnum from Bob at Countyline Hobbies, who as always hooked me up and had it within a couple days. My kids had that wide eyed look ... Wow Dad, WHAT IS THAT! I had the same look, because I'm a kid too.

So onward and upward...
Motor most likely J380 3gr CTI SS 54mm, we will see once final weight is known, or as Bob suggests K535 .

Download fin guide from payload bay for the motor tube and sanded the fins. Not real worried about drag since not really building for altitude so just did a nice roll on leading and trailing edge.

So far so good. The LOC Magnum is a great rocket. I got my L2 on one with a Vulcan J250.
Mr. Bob
County line Hobbies
Grovertown, IN.
574-540-1123
[email protected]
www.countylinehobbies.com

Also built a fun jig and and launch controller, can't wait to use them.

Been a few days off so making as much headway as possible. Started on motor tube - also adding some solid connections for the 1515 rail buttons.

Also cut out the back of the fin slots so I can attach the fins to the motor tube and do the internal fillets. However I made a mistake here. I purchased a couple extra centering rings since it looked like only two that comes with the kit just didn't seam like it would hold well with the bigger motors, especially since the cluster ring has almost no meat around it.
The mistake I made is since I ordered and extra centering ring after the fact, I didn't dry fit this one , only the 2 that came with. So after I finished the motor tube and attempt to slide up in the booster...the OD is slightly too large and would have been much easier to sand the OD if it was by itself.

Finished the motor tube and reinforced internally with 4oz fiber glass. Maybe overbuilding, but I attempted my first glassing and decided to use the rest to hold the 29mm motor tubes better, the only attached area on the 29mm motor tubes is the 1 cluster ring, not real excited about that, so I epoxied all down the tubes and glassed.

I agree it looks like crap, but that will be on the fin can. External I will make pretty. I also use a pinch of chopped carbon in the internal fillets.

Now that is drying onto the AV bay. Purchased a Strattalogger CF, just received it I plan on just using standard settings.


While those are drying, finally no wind , so get to paint all the other rockets I've been building. Leviathan, stretched Initiator, stretched QCC Explorer.

Great paint job on the Leviathan. I always liked the look of the stock paint job - especially the metallic charcoal - but yours is sharp. Well done.

Crash-n-Burn said:

Great paint job on the Leviathan. I always liked the look of the stock paint job - especially the metallic charcoal - but yours is sharp. Well done.

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Thanks Crash, .. Spray bomb and some future polish.

painted the County line Bob FG rocket today, little side line today on the magnum.

Ordered switch from aerocon, charge wells and wiring from Dog house so I can get the switch hole drilled and mounted prior to the next phase.

Not sure if I should glass or not, just tried on a spare tube and it looked like crap and my Mylar stuck to the glass and when I attempted to pull of Mylar the glass started to unwrap, glad it is a practice tube. I really want to glass it so I may have to do more practicing, but if I do, I want to glass before I insert motor assembly.
Also have graphics in design mode, so will only be painting the cone and fins.
More work to come on Monday.

88 Magnum? Does it shoot through schools, or are you going to put in a 3.5" MMT? Johnny Dangerously, or metric? GAH! My brain! My brain!



Later!

--Coop

Received a box from Aerocon, Dog House and Teddy at Onebadhawk - these were just what I was looking for to continue the build. More to come.

Still contemplating - just motor deploy for cert attempt on a J400? And then go DD and send it in a K550? I will be building it with DD and have a back up motor charge in a stratto CF for the cert flight, but don't want to complicate things,

It's your attempt... your call.

There is an argument for the KISS principle, which conventional postings state is motor ejection for cert.... but this assumes that delay cutting and motor ejection through a delay grain is simpler than making an ejection charge, AND that deployment of mains at apogee is simpler to dual deployment--which may not necessarily be the case, depending upon expected max altitude, flying field, conditions, etc.

A counterargument is that a properly-wired and secured altimeter is going to give a more reliable event at apogee, thus decreasing changes for zippers, as well as decreasing the search radius by falling under drogue for most of the descent. You don't get the certification if you lose the rocket. One might argue that this is simpler than risking another build attempt, and however many hours of work on the rebuild, as well as the money for the motor hardware and recovery system lost.

My vote, if the electronics are riding along anyway, is to use them, but like I said: your cert, your call...


Later!

--Coop

Nick@JET said:

Still contemplating - just motor deploy for cert attempt on a J400? And then go DD and send it in a K550? I will be building it with DD and have a back up motor charge in a stratto CF for the cert flight, but don't want to complicate things,

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Assuming you are comfortable with the altimeter, wiring, and will have ground tested the electronics AND deployment charges, I would use dual deploy for the the cert flight. I would also use the motor deploy from the J-400 to ensure a back up drogue event. You will need to add more BP to the stock charge for that diameter and length of airframe. This way, even if your electronics fail, the motor will still separate the rocket at apogee.

I think Coop has some great advice.

I used DD for my L1 and L2. For the L1 I did a LOT of ground testing! By the time I got ready to fly the rocket, there really wasn't much I didn't feel comfortable with when it came to the altimeter and DD. It all went fine. Of course after flying DD with the L1 rocket doing it on the L2 cert was a no brainer. I few a K695R which was going to get over 6000 ft so I never considered anything but DD for that cert.

If this is your first DD and you want to use it for the cert, play with the altimeter! Ground test, ground test and ground test. Not only test the deployment charges, but draw a vacuum on the av-bay and watch the altimeter pop matches. Download the data and compare the plots to what you expected in your tests. If you do that and get comfortable with the altimeter, you'll be comfortable with a DD flight on your cert.

But like Coop said:

your cert, your call...

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Thanks guys good advice, and thanks for the extra BP in the J400. The motor deploy will backup the Alt for apogee of the main since I won't be going that high.

I was able to get the RRC3 software and dongle working last night on my computer thanks to Jim at Missleworks.

The AV bay is coming together, I really dorked up the arming switch hole so that will need some TLC, also drill and inserted for the rail buttons (3). Next will be to finish the ALtimrter, battery and pressure holes

Starting to come together. Buckeye blast in 3 weeks and QCrs in 4. Hope to cert at buckeye but will most likely be the Q.
Purchasing the J400 today from Bob @ Countyline Hobbies.

I also will be flying my first DD wildman Vindicator at one of those launches and have done some ground testing there and learning a lot, so hopefully ground testing will go a lot smoother on the Magnum once I get the phase.

Teddy at Onebadhawk got the harnesses to me in 2 days, amazing so everything should be here except for graphics by the weekend.

Aerocon switch arrived in 2days from CA to IN as well as the Doghouse order. Not sponsored by any of these people, but want to mention them because of the quality parts and the speed in which I received them really helping this all come together.

4am and I just want to jump up and work on this project , having a lot of fun.

Finished the AV bay and electronics, drilled the Alt holes 4x.236". Also CA glued all the cardboard connections since the edges were starting to roll.

Installed the rail button 10x24 inserts and epoxied the mount mount / fun assembly into the booster.

Unfortunately I need to pay closer attention to BATMITES rocket purchase list, because I'm short a nomex blankets for this size tube.



Not sure whether to do a nose cone mod or not, also thinking about 2 part foaming the fin can and a cutout for a timer. Once I load up the rocket I'm sure that will dictate to mod the nose cone or not.

Finished the OR file today - tha am to some help.

I don't have anything between a 16" and the 30" chute , up in the air between these two but Mike brings up a good point and I want to get this out of the wind which is the whole point to the drogue so prolly the 16".

Also I was not aware that the Error for too fast speed at deploy was the Main opening and not the drogue, so thanks for the clarification.

Finished the external fillets


Also received some items from Teddy at One Bad Hawk and Top Flight



Almost ready for ground testing

Loaded up with 1.8g of BP calculated throughly Rockethead site - friction fitting to booster , but will shear pin the cone with 4 - 2x56.


Tested pretty good!


Watch out CAMO!

Pulled 2 of 3 taped sections with 1.8g so I think that will work out well.



Nose cone test coming soon, the shear pins are done but need to plastic rivet the parachute tube to the AV bay before the test.

Lol, she is getting used to it

Tested Main chute (nose cone) with 4 shear pins 2x56 at 1.6 grams of 4F. Went well. Get it packed and some paint on tomorro and ready for attempt on Sunday at Buckeye Blast - weather permitting.

Well yesterday was the day, went to Ohio Aerospace Modeling Consortium close to Dayton for the L2 NAR attempt and my first dual deploy. Using a strattalogger CF 1.8g drogue and 1.6g main.

The Clouds were all around 11mph wind , so decided to fly on the K535 instead of the J400SS. I was more concerned with watching the flight vs watching through the phone video screen so the video stinks. Take off was strong up just between the clouds were able to keep site of the entire flight, apogee popped the drogue which was 3580'. The fell to 700' and pop out came the main for a successful flight.

I'd like to think Bob Jablonski at Countyline hobbies for all the help with this project, answering all my pesky emails. Now to get it painted up and ready for the K660SS with a possible cluster for LDRS

I'd also like to think Steve, Joe Grubb and Lee Berry from OAMC and Merlin Missles for signing off on my L2 and setting up a great field. Great group of guys to fly with, hope to come back soon. We had to take off and get back to host 4-H rocket club here in IN so sorry to miss Doug's L2 attempt with his DD Darkstar.

Congratulations!


Later!

--Coop

Nick@JET said:

Well yesterday was the day, went to Ohio Aerospace Modeling Consortium close to Dayton for the L2 NAR attempt and my first dual deploy. Using a strattalogger CF 1.8g drogue and 1.6g main.

The Clouds were all around 11mph wind , so decided to fly on the K535 instead of the J400SS. I was more concerned with watching the flight vs watching through the phone video screen so the video stinks. Take off was strong up just between the clouds were able to keep site of the entire flight, apogee popped the drogue which was 3580'. The fell to 700' and pop out came the main for a successful flight.

View attachment 263521

View attachment 263522

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Nick,

Great flight yesterday. You looked like a pro at dual deploy. Everything went perfectly. Also a lot shorter walk for recovery with the wind we were having. Thanks for coming over and flying with us. By the way, Doug had a successful cert also.

Thanks Joe! Glad to hear about Doug, hated to miss it but barley got back in time for 4-H. Hopefully next time I won't be in a rush