Warning: The use of black powder is dangerous and should be done with proper precautions. Some cities, counties, states, and countries have restrictions on its use so please check your local laws and regulations. The purchase of black powder is prohibited to those under the age of 18. I suggest you find an experienced mentor prior to your first use. MOST IMPORTANT: Always ground test black powder charges before a flight and do so at a safe distance. Ground testing should never when someone is holding the rocket.

A black powder charge is the most common and reliable method of ejecting a parachute from your rocket. Sure, you can resort to much more exotic means such as carbon dioxide canisters but they are much less reliable. In your rocket, the motor’s ejection or the dual deployment charges will ignite. This ignition will generate hot gases that pressurize the rocket’s airframe. The expanding gases will exert a force on the bulk plate of the nose cone. This created force will eject the nose cone, shock cord, and parachute out of the rocket airframe.

Properly sized charges increase safety and make the hobby more enjoyable. Three very bad things can happen to rockets that use dual deployment or altimeters as recovery devices: no ejection (ballistic recovery), too powerful of an ejection (blow it out or blow it up), or an early deployment such as deploying the main at apogee.