What makes them fly? What do the motors look like?
Model rockets fly on black powder or composite motors which use a mixture of amonium perchlorate (AP) and alluminium powder as fuel. AP is almost identical to the fuel used in the space shuttles solid rocket boosters. Composite motors are about 3 times more powerful than black powder motors. Black powder motors are usually a strong, thick paper tube with a ceramic nozel in the aft end of the motor. Composite motors are assembled from individual components (reloadable motors) and placed inside an alluminium motor tube, or you can purchase single use composite motors that look a little like a felt tip marker pen. You can also buy hybrid motors which use a basic fuel, like rubber, and an oxidiser, which is normally N2O – nitrous oxide.
