Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Onyx First High Power Rocket First BAR Rocket First Loc Kit First rocket that I flew an E motor.
Status: Lost: At Interstate Launch Facult. Due to a horizontal flight.
Graduator
#002
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Graduator Second High Power Rocket First rocket that I flew an F motor.Flew many times and had some great flights with this rocket.. First Attempt of using a reloadable motor system.
Status: Destroyed: Didn’t have the O rings in the correct position on the delay grain, causing the motor to CATO burning up the whole inside of the rocket.
EZ-I65
#003
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision EZ-I65 First Really Big Rocket First rocket that I flew an G motor. Has been converted to rail buttons.One of my most favorite rockets. This is the rocket that wanted me to make bigger rockets.
Status: Retired: One of my most flown rockets. It did finaly crash landed due to an old delay element at Steel City 2002. Only the nose cone and payload section got crush, so it was rebuilt over night and flow the next day.
Hi Tech
#004
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Hi-Tech H45 This is my tree loving rocket. A great high flying rocket that so far I haven’t been able to lose. Also the most rebuilt rocket I ever flew. There are more layers of paint on this rocket than any other rocket.
Retired: After about 6 flights the rocket ended up in a tree for over a month. And it went though several rain storms. And once I did get it down the tree I had to squeezed the water out of it. It then sat in my house for over a year to finish drying out. After Hi-Tech #2 got lost up in the tree I decided to rebuilt the rocket. It now has a new payload section and a 29mm motor adapter glue into place to replaced the damage 38mm motor mount. And it still flys great to this day.
Initiator
#005
Stock Kit: Aerotech Initiator My first Aerotech kit. It came with the reload motors that were used in the Graduator.
Status: Retired:
Graduator #2
#006
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Graduator I liked the first kit so much I bought a another one. Same paint scheme that the Graduator #1 used. Great rocket for small fields. It will fly everything from a D to G motors.
Status: Ready For Flight:
Loc 4
#007
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Loc 4
Another big diameter rocket. But it flys on small motors. Great flight with a G motor. “It’s not a rocket until you can get you hands inside”
Status: In Repair: Two of the fins came off during transit to the launch site
Hi Tech #2
#008
Modified Kit: LOC/Precision Hi-Tech H45 I like the first kit so much I bought another. Had only a few flights on the rocket.
Status: Destroyed: I got the rocket stuck up into a tree again, while trying to get it down I almost killed myself. Then I decided to fly it one more time that day just to have it land in a another tree. This time it was too high. I did get the rocket back after being up on the tree/ laying on the forest floor for three years. But a field mouse made its home and even chewed on the fins.
Iroc
#009
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Iroc My level one rocket. — NAR Level 1 at NARAM 1999 — Tripoli Level 1 at Jonesburg Oct. 1999 My level 2 rocket. — Tripoli Level 2 at Delamar Dry Lake, NV May 2000 A real work horse of a rocket. A great level one rocket. I highly recommend it!
Status: RETIRED: In Repair: After so many flights I have decided to retire this rocket. She has flown so many time she deserves a rest plus I would hate to see anything happen to it. On the last flight one fin was loosen so I am going to glue the fin back on and give it one more finaly coat of paint.
City Of Pittsburgh
#010
Kit Bashed: LOC/Precision Caliber ISP Second rocket that I fiberglass. First attempt at dual deployment. First rocket to fly an AltAcc 2A
Status: Ready For Flight: First dual deployment didn’t work due to not enough black powered for pushing the main chute to come out. Minor damage mostly just repainting.
No Picture
Vector 1
#011
Kit Bashed: LOC/Precision Magnum Was going to be my level 2 rocket. Has a interchangeable motor mount Had a interchangeable fin can First of the really big rocket.
Status: Under Construction: Construction is on hold due to the IROC rocket helping reach level 2 certifcation. So I decided to stop construction and make a new rocket called the Vector 2. The Nose cone & payload bay went on to the first Vector 2 rocket. Which only the nose cone survived. Ive been thinking of using the airframe on a redesign of this rocket. As you can see by its picture it did get pretty close to being finished.
Vector 2
#012
Scratch Built: Base on LOC/Precision Magnum First rocket that flew an “L” motor First rocket that I cast the motor reload. First rocket that I flew a NASSA motor in. Had only one flight before being destroyed. First flight of my RDAS altimeter
Status: Destroyed: Due to a weak coupler section the Vector 2 was destroyed at 1500 feet when the rocket went though the sound barrier. It was a total destruction with many small pieces falling out of the sky.
Rebuilt: Ready For Flight: The rocket was rebuilt and reinforced with fiberglass and now has a much stronger coupler section. The removeable fin has been replaced with a permanent though the wall fins. Which have been reinforced with fiberglass to the motor mount. The only part of the original rocket is the motor mount and a small bits of the airframe. The rebuilt rocket has quickly become one of my favorites. I have even flown a large M size motor in the rocket without any problems.
No Picture
Fire & Ice
#013
Stock Kit: LOC/Precision Starburst Well I had to do something in between the big rockets. Believe it or not this is my first composite motor cluster.
Status: Retired: A great little rocket. I have had fun clustering a couple of composite motors for this rocket. It has flown great, except I keep changing the name of this rocket.
Vector 3
#014
Scratched Built: Christine Rial Tripoli Level 3 Rocket — Successful Level 3 flight @ Springfest 2004, Jean Dry Lake View TAP Documentation HereI spent a lot of time designing this rocket. Correcting some of my earler mistakes. It is based the Vector 2 design with improvements on: — Stronger fin can to handle more load forces — A much stronger coupler section — 2 layers of 6 Oz fiber glass to handle the M motors thrust. — Keeping the fin size down for lower shipping cost. — Used Interchangeable fin can & electronic bay First rocket that received Ham Radio recovery commands Design from the start to keep shipping cost down.
Status: Retired: This rocket has flown on everything from a AMW-J450 to a NASSA-M2600. With a maxium speed of 900 MPH, and reaching an altitude of 11,700 feet. I was able to get my level 3 at Las Vegas, Springfest Launch. The flight was so good I didn’t even bother to ship the rocket home. It got to stay out in Las Vegas for the following Delamar Research Launch.
Ez Hy 835
#015
Scratched built: Christine Rial based on a Loc EZ-I65 My first hybrid rocket. Designed to fly on HyperTek 54mm motors, both the 440 and 835 tank sizes. It is my main research rocket. Has flown on many homemade motors. I have used my Ham Radio as a recovery system for several flights.
Status: Retired: This is one of my most flown rockets. It was Tripoli Pittsburgh first hybird rocket for western PA. For recovery I have used a small ham HT to receive codes to fire the deployment charges. That has work several times but I still have a problem with blowing out the FET transistor switches. Having a 54mm motor mount, this rocket has been very useful to testing out my research motors. I have never had a bad flight yet on a research motor. Best flight was on a NASSA K motor at LDRS in Las Vegas to an altitude of 6,500 feet. Unfortunately every time I have tried to fly the HyperTek 835 tank I had leaks that has cause the rocket to cato. When the motor blew apart it cut the bottom of the rocket & fins off.
Hy Tech #3
#016
Kit Bashed: LOC/Precision Hi-Tech H45 First mod was to make the Hi-Tech dual deployment. Second mod was modifing the motor mount for 29mm Rattworks hybrid motor. Last mod was to lengthen the booster section for the longer hybrid motors.
Status: Retired:This rocket has flown on the Rattworks 29mm H and I motors. One of the design goals was to make it as light was possible for the small hybirds. The rocket with out the motor weighs only three pounds. One of the first flights was up at LDRS that was held in Rochester, NY, were it did amazed the crowd. I would highly recommend modifying this LOC kit for an easy entry hybrid rocketry. It would be good for the Rattworks 29mm or the Skyripper 38mm motors.
Hy Tech #4
#017
Kit Bashed: LOC/Precision Hi-Tech H45 I wanted to see how big of motor I could fit into a small diameter rocket. This LOC kit was modify to take an 54mm motor mount, and was wrapped with 2 layers of 10 Oz. fiberglass. The biggest motor so far was an AMW-K flying to 8,200 feet.
Status: Ready For Flight: This rocket has already had some amazing flight. With most of its flight being above 5,000 feet. So far even the biggest 54mm motors haven’t been able to shered it yet. This rocket was design from the begining to be easy to travel with. It has flown in Val de Ruz, Switzerland at the ALRS VIII launch on an Aerotech J350. Then flown via airplane to the Blackrock Desert in northern Nevada, where it was flown on a NASSA Research K413. The highest flight was right back here in western PA, on a big K AMW motor to the an amazing 8,200 feet.
Javelin
#018
Scratchbuilt: Christine Rial My first “O” power rocket My first all fiber glassed rocket Home made airframe, 5 wraps of 10 Oz fiberglass Has two nose cones. One for flying by itself, and another for the Desert Dart. This is the booster for my Desert Dart rocket.
Status: Ready For Flight: To be flown at the Balls launch in the Blackrock Desert.