Both times the rocket spun early in the flight only to stabilize and fly straight. Any ideas why?
To summarize:
- rocket launches stable, flies straight off the rod
- ~1.0 seconds into flight and 100+ ft in the air it starts rapid counter-clock-wise spin
- ~3.0 seconds into flight it abruptly stops spinning after motor cuts out
- I only saw it spinning in one direction: clock-wise from the position of the camera / counter-clock wise from the ground.
If it's a one-off, then I would suspect nozzle manufacturing imperfection, or debris accumulation in nozzle throat/diverging section during burn. Especially with a sparky engine.
What motor did you fly on, and how did it look after landing (have pics)?
If the problem repeats itself reliably (not the end of the world, BTW), then I would suspect motor mount misalignment.
Did you build the rocket yourself? Have any reservations about how the motor mount centering rings were glued to the MMT?
Either way, congratulations on perfectly aligned fins!
Once the thrust cuts out, they stabilize the spin in a hurry, and it proceeds flying perfectly straight.
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