My smallest 2-stage rocket

I would like to preface that no one was hurt

This is a 1-inch diameter Airstart 2-stage rocket that I have crammed a PerfectFlite staging timer into.

BE CAREFUL WITH STAGING TIMERS!!!


The goal of the timer is to start another motor after liftoff after a set time delay I program. The one downside to this is that there is no lockout angle detection. The instant the timer gets an acceleration reading, it starts the countdown to send current to the e-match to ignite the next motor.

Most flight computers have a lockout feature where you can set how far you want your rocket to pitch over before its not safe to fire another motor.
Timers do not do this, rather they just count down until the time does says go.
In my case, the “misle does NOT know where it is at all times”

All of my 2-stage rockets have an apogee deployment system to prevent those kind of thing from happening. All except for this small one.
Smaller AP motors can be unreliable at times falling subject to thrust vectoring more easily because of the clay nozzles. This is what caused the rocket to spin, and cause this chaos.
As you can see from previous flights the rocket was stable and had a perfect flight, however this last one was caused primarily by the D20 motor on the first stage thrust vectoring uncontrollably. Not the rail, wind, or the stability.

From now on I will keep all my airstart rockets at least 50 feet away for safety. #rocketry #rocket #aerospace #aerospaceengineering #flight #diy #motor