Different aerodynamics probably had a little impact but it's mostly just a much better power to weight ratio. It helps that you didn't launch a raspberry pi and battery :)
That's exactly it. This thing was pretty heavy with a battery, Pi, sensors, mounting components, etc. I used an Estes D12-5 engine, which is fairly powerful but there are wayyy more powerful model rocket motors out there that I'd like to try in the future with this.
If you’d like inspiration for something larger, check out a rocket[0] a friend and I designed/built/launched earlier this year. Basically a combination of a drone and a rocket, rocket part takes it up, drone part handles the landing. I can share a lot more photos, videos, and design characteristics if interested (contact info on my profile page).
Thanks for clarifying.
As a total noob I was staggered by those little sugar rockets, as soon as the thing left the ground I thought "uh oh, what have I done?"