You show up at the range on a calm Saturday morning with a two-stage Estes rocket and a D12-0 booster that turned out to be wrong for that particular airframe. You're not sure because you didn't write it down after the last flight. The certification card says it's rated for D through F. Your gut says the upper stage motor you packed won't clear the staging delay cleanly. You stand there doing math in your head while the launch window closes.
This is a solved problem if you built the database before you needed it.
The Motor Configuration Is Not Optional Data
The Motors field in this template carries a multi-select list of single-stage motor options spanning from 1/4A3-3T to G80-10 — the full NAR letter range that covers the Estes and Quest catalogues. That's the first layer. For two-stage birds, Booster and Upper are separate multi-select fields, with appropriate zero-delay options in the Booster list (B6-0, C6-0, D12-0, E12-0) and the corresponding upper-stage delays in the Upper field.
That separation is functional, not decorative. When you're at the field and you want to know which motor combinations you've used or qualified for a specific rocket, you need to see booster and upper independently. The C6-0 → B6-6 pairing for a two-stager means something different from C6-0 → C6-7 in terms of coast phase and altitude profile. Storing them in a single text note means re-reading the note every time. Storing them in structured multi-select fields means filtering for every rocket that uses a C6-0 booster in thirty seconds.
The Motor Configuration field — Single, Dual, Triple, Quadruple — documents cluster setups. A 24mm airframe running two D12-3 motors in a dual configuration reads completely differently than the same airframe with a single E motor. The field makes that legible at glance without parsing notes.
Dimensional Data at the Field
Length (in), Diameter (in), and Weight (oz) are the three numbers you need for range prep and motor selection. Weight drives recovery deployment calculations. Diameter determines tube and motor mount compatibility when you're improvising a repair.
Max Altitude (ft) is your simulation or actual measured ceiling for the motor configuration you run most often. It's not a definitive specification — it shifts with motor selection, field elevation, and weather — but it's the number that tells you whether a given flight is appropriate for a given range's waiver ceiling. Filter your entire fleet for birds with a Max Altitude under 1,000 feet and you have your low-and-slow range day list.
The Field Reference That Actually Stays Current
Note is where certifications live, failure modes get recorded, recovery system anomalies get flagged. The first time a shock cord frays on a C6-5 flight, that goes in the note. The next time you pull that rocket, the note is there.
Photos and Attachments handle the simulation files, the kit instructions, and the OAR filings for anything flying in controlled airspace. The Stage field — Single or Two Stage — combined with the motor configuration fields means the record tells you exactly what you're loading before you pack the range bag.