Fire On The Pad!

My @EstesRockets1 "Doorknob" has been through it! From it's first flight in April 2022 to this latest flight in April 2026, I have rebuilt and/or repaired this model 5 times. Most recently it suffered busted fins from a failed Rotofoil 'chute deploymen, and it has survived an on-pad CATO with the motor burning through the blast plate, not lifting off the rocket, but causing no damage to the rocket. It has some stories to tell! On this video @mobrockets is launching post Rotofoil chute fin damage repair, and post on-pad CATO. The goal here is to successfully deploy the Rotofoil chute flying with an Estes F15-4 29mm motor. The damage caused by the previous attempt at deploying the Rotofoil was due to using a 6 second delay motor. By time the ejection charge fired, the rocket had skipped way past apogee, was headed straight to the ground, and caught inside the holes of the chute once the chute deployed, causing a very rough, fin snapping landing. The solution to not repeating this failure is to fly the rocket with a 4 second delay motor. Easier said than done! Always an adventure when launching model rockets. Which makes the hobby so much fun! Enjoy this next story in the life of my Doorknob...