The issue of rocketpods is no joke, one hitting wonders, they are. Just a few minutes ago i was happily flying about in my scythe, only to hear the dreaded beeping noise, reminiscent of a shrill shriek, foreshadowing my doom. I flipped and tried to evade the many rockets tailing me, only to fall to the army of rockets. I wish i could have them too, but they are out of my price range, at about 700 credits for one. My complaint is that there should at least be a chance of dodging rocket pods. Not giving us a chance to shake them is no fun, and they shouldn't be so hard to dodge
I don't think rocket pods mean what you think they mean. Just unlock flares (countermeasures?), they'll take care of all your AA missile related problems.
You could have: Purchased and used your flares to render those missiles wasted shots. Held down left shift to out run them. Put something solid, like a mountain or Auraxian tree, in between you and the missile. Don't try to dodge homing missiles.