I've RSOed a lot and it's one of my favorite positions to volunteer. The whole average thrust thing is a really hard subject sometimes. I use it as a rule of thumb, but when someone comes up with a marginal rocket generally I put the prof of burden on them. I don't have all the thrust curves memorized, so if I can lookin it up or you can show me it has a spike, I am fine. But if you come to me with a motor I am unfamiliar with and can't prove the spike then I will probably not sign it. I've had too many times where someone said trust me and then the rocket was way under powered. As an RSO, I am here to help you have safe fun.
I did have once where they didn't want me to fly the I180 in the 4" IRIS. It was above 3:1 average TWR but they wanted a minimum of 7:1. I just showed them the maximum g-force column.
@benjaminnevins5211 As an RSO if you have all that and it's all good numbers, I would not question that. The scenario I've rejected flights has been when someone comes to me with a 12 pound rocket with a J250 (really flat thrust curve) and swears it has a kick at the start, but it doesn't. In that scenario the motor would be very marginal to the NFPA. At a place like BALLs that could be an acceptable heads up flight. At LDRS, or NSL I would consider that a potentially dangerous flight.
Don't get me wrong, I understand where they're coming from. It's just a little heavy-handed to ban something that has a multi-decade track record of working fine and is very easy to inspect for functionality.
38:00 yep, my second high power flight ever, one week after getting my L1, I made that mistake. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-o-ZJau6TtE4.html After that, checking for the casing was added to my checklist in an additional 7 places and I keep a fully assembled spent 38mm motor stored in the rocket as an extra reminder about the casing. That is a mistake one (hopefully) only makes once. Unfortunately, if you use an Aeropack retainer, there really is not much, if any noticeable difference between with and without the casing from the outside
Sometimes simple is better. Introducing more parts means more things that can fail. I have quite a few rc models that I turn on by plugging the battery into a plug rather than using a switch. Switches do fail and that's why rmost really expensive models use 2.
I have tested my electronics at my tent using Estes igniters and after I get good tone, etc. I'll turn it off and hook up the real charges and not turn the electronics back on until it is on the pad.
