LOC EZI-65 vs PML Ariel

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DD can be tricky; I strongly advise everyone doing DD for the first time to find a mentor and ask a ton of questions. I agree with Handeman, I only do DD flights with high power rockets. I know how to do it and I know how to set up my rocket so that it works. I had some problems in the beginning, including a nasty lawn dart that required a significant rebuild. It was my fault on the lawn dart as I prepped my apogee charge incorrectly. In my defense I was quite ill when I prepped it. Since you just went to your first club launch and saw your first DD flights I would advise not going DD. Certifying high power is enough of a challenge without adding DD. However, if you want to go DD on this rocket later you should build it so you can modify it as needed. That means an av bay, a long shock cord for the booster section (our club mentors recommend about a 20 foot shock cord of tubular nylon and throw away the elastic if your kit has any) and shear pins for the nose.

Keep in mind that certifying high power is not just making a bigger rocket than a mid power bird and sticking a big motor in it. Again, a mentor would be helpful. My club sees a lot of college kids come to our launches working on NASA challenges. Many of them think they just stick a big motor in a big rocket and they can get their level 1 and then their level 2 certifications. Many of these teams have significant issues with their rockets. I have seen cheap 9 volt batteries destroyed by a high G liftoff, 9 volt batteries only secured to the av bay sled by tape, fins barely secured to the airframe, etc. We could have helped these teams a lot (and saved them a lot of time and money) if they had asked questions or shown us their proposed design.

Don't be shy, ask for help.
 
Thanks much for the tips. I have purchased a dual deployment altimeter and planning on trying it after cert. The rocket next to you in the pic looks awesome.
 
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