LOC/Precision - Aura {Kit} (PK-18) [1988-]

LOC/Precision Aura

LOC/Precision - Aura {Kit} (PK-18) [1988-]

Contributed by Nick Aberg

Construction Rating:
Flight Rating:
Overall Rating:

Diameter:	1.52 inches
Length:	23.00 inches
Manufacturer:	LOC/Precision
Skill Level:	3
Style:	Sport

Brief:
The LOC/Precision Aura is a tough, quick building, inexpensive, midpower model rocket with streamer recovery.

Construction:
The kit came in a bag with: 1 heavy duty body tube, 1 thick plastic nose cone, 3 pre-cut 1/8" ply fins, 1 shock cord mount and elastic shock cord, 1 5ft long streamer, 1 29mm MMT tube, 1 1/4" launch lug, and 2 paper centering rings.

The kit goes together fairly quickly as the instructions are on the header card that comes with the kit. The instructions have only the steps you need in order to build the kit, meaning they tell you the order and "odd" steps that are not normally in a kit. I do not like the shock cord mount--it is a nylon braided string that you fold, stick a piece of tape to, and epoxy into the airframe. You can use the streamer only if you peel off the glassine layer of the body tube and fiberglass the fins on tip-to-tip. I didn't do this and I now have to reattach the fins every time I fly it. (I tried using a chute, but it just gave me a long walk.) The fins go on easy and the body tube is pre-marked. Everything fits and it is the sturdiest thing around when complete.

Finishing:
Finishing is easy until you get to the nose cone. I sprayed three coats of Kilz primer on, then flat white, then orange on the body, and yellow on the fins and nose cone. The nose is annoying because the paint doesn't stick!

Construction Rating: 4 out of 5

Flight:
For a rocket's first flight, I either deck it out or go soft. I went soft with a D12-3.

I put on a LOC 18" chute, but the lines burned away and it just fell to the ground. Damage was not bad as the nose just stuck in the ground and a fin got buried and snapped off. It made 8 more flights then tried the chute one more time. It just gave me a long walk over a fence and into a parking lot where a car almost ran it over.

Recovery:
The recovery is fine, and it is just like how Tom Wolf describes the failure to deploy the parachute after the ejection seat fires in a jet fighter: it begins to be so fast that you'd think it is a missile! The kit needs mods to survive. The kit would get a 5 for flight/recovery, but the streamer takes that away.

Flight Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
PROs: It gets up there fast and is very sturdy.

CONs: It gets down fast and the shock cord should be mounted to the rear centering ring.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Reviews

LOC/Precision Aura By Nick Esselman (November 13, 2010)
The Aura was my first rocket from LOC/Precision and I would consider it their entry level kit considering the size, ease of build and price. It is a basic three-fin-and-a-nose-cone (3FNC) kit with a 29mm motor mount. Although the kit comments indicate that the "kit is recommended for those with previous model rocketry building experience", it is a very easy kit to assemble. The ...

Flights

Comments:

E.S. (February 1, 2000)

The LOC Aura is a very durable kit. I have found that by making the fins through the wall to be the best way of keeping them on during landing. This worked very well under flight. I had launched this rocket in NY during Colboskil on a G125. I did not recover it due putting a large chute in it.

B.H. (April 1, 2000)

The fiberglassing of the fins is a absolute must. I flew mine at Danville 99 on an AT G-80 SU. Thank goodness for bonus delays. The Aura is not what I would consider a good beginner kit. I think the previous rocket building experience warning is a good call.

R.J. (September 1, 2000)

The LOC Aura is one of my favorite rockets. Easy to prep and always an impressive flight. However, my first flight was with the included streamer. It hit the playa hard and delaminated the body tube at one fin. Easy to fix with epoxy. But I fly it now with a small nylon parachute (12-15 inches). One change I made to the kit was to add an AeroTech motor retaining clip. I had to cut a small rectangle of airframe to make this work. I wouldn't recommend doing this. It limits the available motors, and the retention doesn't always work. But I would recommend the rocket. It's a great kit.

M.K. (January 1, 2001)

I enjoyed building the LOC Aura. A nice small rocket, that really soars. I asked a lot of people on the Internet wether to use the stock streamer or not, half said yes, half said no. I went with the streamer, and now I regret it. I broke a fin off, and the soil was a soft as could be. Next time I will be using a small chute, but the streamer would still be good for a F or G launch, if I am ever tempted. Overall a great rocket, quality parts, and should last for a long time, if the fins stay on. Would love to see it fly on a G40 or G33 sometime, but good luck to that crazy person.

A.C.D. (January 1, 2001)

When somebody launches a big one, heads pop up during climb-out. With Aura on a G40, people can sense that something special is underway; she climbs and climbs, and nobody stops watching. Oh, yeah; this kit is what it's all about.

D.O. (February 1, 2001)

I have flown my Aura several times from a high altitude launch site 8800' MSL with motors at the upper end of the range (G33s and G64s). I worried about the fins when I built the kit, so I reinforced the joints with 0.5 oz glass on the bias. (0.5 oz cloth was used to keep the weight down my bird tips the scales at 8 oz. with a 24" chute and NO MOTOR) When you use "regular" glass (Not Crowfoot) on a bias (fibers running at 45 degrees to the rocket) you have two advantages. First all the glass fibers are working for you because both the long and cross fibers cross the joint. Second is that the cloth is pliable in that direction so it goes around corners better. The other thing that is really important when glassing LOC paper tubes is to sand the waxy finish off of the tube so the epoxy can penetrate into the tube, and have some "tooth" to bond to for maximum strength.

T.B. (February 1, 2001)

I love my Aura and have flown it many times using both D and E engines (with homemade motor adapter). It flies great on a E15-7 and the grand-kids love the noise and smoke. Easy to build and nice kit to get one started into mid power rockets. Plan on flying it with and F this season but will switch out the streamer for a small parachute. Great kit, great rocket and I highly recommend it for someone just getting started into the Mid/high power rockets.

M.G.K. (October 26, 2001)

My 1st mid-power rocket kit. I agree with all of the earlier posts. Gotta' have good fin fillets or you're going lose a fin. I have installed a quick change swivel to change back and forth between streamer or 12" chute. This rocket really climbs out on an E motor, but looks good on a D also. Haven't tried an F or G yet (may not come back!)

C.V.H. (November 3, 2001)

The Aura is a fun kit to fly. On a G-80 it is a spectacular flight, but almost impossible to track near apogee, and I've nearly lost it a couple of times. I fly mine with a piece of flame proof wadding filled with chalk dust, so at ejection it makes a nice white spot against the clouds and I also have but in a 20 foot streamer. Even at 4200 feet it is easy to track its descent.

D.S. (July 26, 2002)

Don't fly it on an E9! By the time it was stable, it was flying in a distinctly horizontal fashion. The rocket gods were kind and I found it just across the road from the field.

J.S.P. (May 5, 2003)

I bought my Aura over ten years ago and it's still flying like a champ! The only modification I made was to scrap the streamer and put in a 10 inch nylon chute. This bird is HEAVY and if you go with a streamer you're begging the rocket gods to take a fin!

T.B. (November 18, 2003)

I've flown my Aura now at least a dozen times and have had only one fin breakage on the second flight. I found that by attaching the supplied streamer by the very end (so you have a long single streamer) and by folding several times before rolling it works quite well. During times of high humidity I've been known to sprinkle the streamer with some baby powder - which also gives a nice marker at ejection. I've moved on to bigger and better rockets, but still fly my Aura every chance I get. For small field it flies great on D12-3 or E15-4 and grandkids love watching it fly and chasing it (which is a bonus for me ) Great little rocket that I highly recommend.

G.L.P. (July 20, 2004)

I love the Aura. It's a hot little rocket. I once had it caught in a flag pole. Had to cut the shock cord. I've chipped a fin and broken a few fins but it's okay. I've flown it on an Ellis F37 or something. Straight and true. A little spinning on ascent. I was actually able to track the rocket all the way up! Streamer popped. It was heading toward the danger zone behind the military target range. Luckily the wind caught it and brought it back within 50 ft. I plan to fly it on a G later!

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