Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, shiver me timbers, matey, this thin' is huge. Arrr! Begad! For people in HPR, ya bilge rat, this isn't so big. Avast! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, arrr, matey, and is 4" in diameter. Avast! Begad! As o' now, I don't know what t' exact weight is, arrr, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Aye aye! Aye aye! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. 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, ya bilge rat, and I built a booster pod for it. Well, matey, blow me down! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Begad! Well, me hearties, blow me down! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Well, blow me down! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Arrr! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Avast! Begad! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, arrr, and push the chute out. It better fly right, me hearties, me bucko, 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, matey, 1997. Begad! After talkin' t' some people, matey, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. I ran a computer altitude sim, arrr, and found that an H140 SU would work, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast, me hearties, me proud beauty! Blimey! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, ya bilge rat, me hearties, and fly it on an H180. Well, blow me down! Well, me hearties, blow me down! Blimey! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Blimey!

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