Boris, your flights are inspiring. When I look at them, I want to add a ring of 24mm BPs around the central 38mm AP in the 4 incher I'm building.
I wonder if you can share more about your flash pan setup. In particular, I wonder about lighting the AP from an electric igniter and the BPs (or their flash pan) from the main motor's flame. This way if the main fails to start, I can avoid BPs ignition.
Ari.
Thank you. Inspired is the way I feel when I see the video of your amazing glider.
From a visual effect point of view, it will take a lot of BP motors to be visible next to a 38mm motor.
Pic 1: British Electric Thunderbird going up on a Cesaroni F30 White longburn + 10x 24mm BP motors
Pic 2: Soyuz on Cesaroni G125 + 16x 24mm BP motors (15x fired)
Both these flights all motors fired by high output cluster box and Rocketflite igniters. Fired the AP motors alone in other projects to to build confidence in their "instant-on" ignition.
Pic 3: Sirius Rocketry Saturn V on AMW J440 + 4x BP motors
Used a fast igniting big motor with some pyrogen added near igniter. Also rocket was too heavy (16 lbs) for the BP motors to fly, so they were for effect only.
Best approach is to use a very fast igniting AP motor, like many of the Cesaronis that have the pressed BP plug built in.
Quickmatch leading from the back (outside only) of the big AP motor into the nozzle of each BP motor should do the trick. A number of folks in England have done this successfully and posted some pictures.
Another possibility would be to use a timer to airstart the BP motors.