Hello all.

For some reason yours truly is looking to get his L2 again. I have been waffling back and forth over how to do so and it has occured to be that I have always wanted to build/fly a K-Load.

I know that Ron designed the orginal to use original long-burning 98MM AeroTech K's, and I would plan on using either the K458 or maybe even better yet the L400.

Questions-

Is the K-Load's external dimensions identical to the Magnum?
Were the fins plywood or FG? What thickness?
Am I nuts, or would that 12 second burn L400 look kickin in this rocket?

Thanks in advance fellow nerds.

Jason

Hi, Jason,

Is the K-Load out of production? I can't find it on LOC's website nor on Google nor rocketreviews.com .

Can you give us a link or maybe a pic? Thanks.

BTW, the 12-second burn sounds like a blast, but recovery will require some serious tracking

Doug

__________________
YORF member #11

Jason,

Questions-

Is the K-Load's external dimensions identical to the Magnum?
Yes ..... K-Load was BT-5.38 airframe

Were the fins plywood or FG? What thickness?
FG. Not sure what thickness.

Am I nuts, or would that 12 second burn L400 look kickin in this rocket?
You're not nuts. Love those old long burn motors. Remember the K125 ..... wasn't that like a 20 second burn?

I used to have a sheet from Ron with the Loc Custom Engineering kits I'll have to see if I can dig it out. May have been posted in one of the old Tripolitan issues as well.

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates

Yeah, it's long OOP. I have the Tripolitan with orignal write-up, I will dig it up and post the article for posterity.

Steve -

I remembered it being 5.38". I think the fins looked very similiar to the Magnum fins. I am hoping that is the case, and further, I dig the idea of using 1/4" ply fins and just dumb old wood glue and foam to hold them on. I'd bet that this rocket will not ever move too fast on either of the motors that I am interested in using, but of course will sim it out before any purchases.


I do remember the K125....talk about a motor that you had to custom built the rocket for. Light, light, light. Mike and Jerry Vaughan used to fly those out at Black Rock in the early nineties. I think they used motor ejection...that part was a little sketch .

Jason

Scott Pearce flew a modified K-Load kit (He named it the 'M-Load') at LDRS-8 with an AeroTech 98mm 'M' motor and a Sony videocamera in a payload section.

The rocket came apart in flight when the coupler between the booster and the payload section failed.

The camera was smashed on impact but we managed to get the videocasette out of the camera. The tape was damaged but we did get about 5-10 seconds of flight footage.

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Bob
S.A.M. # 0014

The K125 was about a 20 second burn motor. Too bad it couldn't lift much weight.

A White Lightning version of the same motor,a K215, was flown by me in a minimum diameter nine-foot tall rocket at LDRS-8. It was a great flight, 12 second burn time! Better yet, the model was recovered and returned to me.

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Bob
S.A.M. # 0014

I dug through my pile of Tripolitans and found the original write up on the kit. It is indeed the same length and diameter as the Magnum but uses a fiberglass fin of a different shape than the Magnum. And of course, it has a big old motor mount.

Anyone who'd like the article, let me know and I will email it to you....file size too large to post here.

L400 sounds good doesn't it ?

OLD thread - relevent because I just retrieved my not-yet-finished-rebuild parts from the old shed

My original kit was torn up at a RATS launch on an old ACS L911 ( single grain full progressive sledghammer ). no glass on the bird, came apart at aprox mach 1.4 as per the Olsen recording altimeter.
A rebuild was damaged severly by a 75 x 3500 John Ritz Red motor at a BRS exp launch years back .

Going to rebuild this, and maybe do my own Level 2 recert ( due to laspe ), thinking the L339 N

Jason, if you still want info drop me aline, I have the specs and fin patterns for the 1/8" G10 fins.

look forward to being back. missed my rocket buds.

~ AL Swackhammer

Tripoli 090

cert level '0'


Ps: just finished watchign part of the Rocketman video of the Mypower 97 NSL launch, which features my K-Load on, indeed, the K458 reload, killer motor for this bird

Al,

PM sent. I'd be interested in the specs and fin patterns for the 1/8" G10 fins. I may still have your email address but it's been a while so I wasn't sure if that was still valid.

Thanks!

.

__________________
Steve Naquin
TRA# 677 L2
NAR# 85518 L2
SAM# 0052

🚀 In Construction: Der Blue Maxx/Minie-Magg 5.5” & Vander-Burn MDRM Clone w/Stickershock23 Custom Decals
🚀 In Paint & Detail: USR Banshee
🚀 In Build Queue: Estes Doorknob w/Vander-Burn Rocketry Upgrade Kit [Sport Decor], Semroc Centurion-F, Semroc Egg Crate
🚀 In Repair: SLS Lil’ Hustler, SLS Aero-Dart 1969 Trim
🚀 Stay Tuned For Fall 2021 Launch Dates