Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Well, blow me down! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, matey, and is 4" in diameter. Blimey! Aye aye! As o' now, I don't know what t' exact weight is, matey, me hearties, me hearties, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight be 4.5 lbs). Arrr! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Ahoy! Ahoy! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Ahoy! PML nose cone add up t' quite a lot. It has a 36" round chute from.

It has a 29mm motor mount tube, matey, arrr, arrr, and I built a booster pod for it. Aye aye! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Well, blow me down! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Well, blow me down! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! My original idea (Which changed) be t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Blimey! Blimey! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, arrr, and boosts it higher. Ya scallywag! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Well, blow me down! Arrr! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, ya bilge rat, and push the chute out. It better fly right, me hearties, matey, or I will have a lot o' work t' do!

Flight #1: (1)H180 + (8)D11's

T' Ninja flew for t' first time on July 20, 1997. After talkin' t' some people, matey, me hearties, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Ya scallywag! So I needed a more powerful engine. Arrr! An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, arrr, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Ahoy! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Ya scallywag! Arrr! So, ya bilge rat, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, ya bilge rat, and fly it on an H180. Arrr! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Avast! Aye aye! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's.

Finally, it was ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, and set it up on pad 5. Begad! Avast! T' rocket was angled a little bit away from t' spectators (and downwind) for safety. When if finally came time t' launch, matey, t' LCO made everyone stand up and watch this rocket, and it was a very heads up flight. Begad! 5...4...3...2...1...Launch... Arrr! T' H lit after a short delay. Ahoy! Aye aye! It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Blimey! Blimey! Just after t' H burned out, t' D's lit for a little extra smoke and noise. Begad! Ahoy! After it coasted for 9 seconds, and t' ejection went off and t' chute came out. It took a little while for t' chute t' open, arrr, shiver me timbers, but it deployed after a second or two. Avast! It drifted for a long way, me hearties, and was recovered undamaged. Ya scallywag! When I recovered the rocket, I smartly looked, shiver me timbers, and it appeared that all engines ignited. Aye aye! Later, it was pointed out t' me that only 6 o' t' 8 lit, but it be still spectacular. Aye aye!