Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

It has a 29mm motor mount tube, shiver me timbers, 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. For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Ahoy! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Ya scallywag! At a either .5 or 1 second, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Arrr! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Aye aye! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, me hearties, and push the chute out. Aye aye! Begad! It better fly right, me hearties, 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. Blimey! After talkin' t' some people, matey, shiver me timbers, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. So I needed a more powerful engine. Ya scallywag! 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, and found that an H140 SU would work, me hearties, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Ahoy! Ya scallywag! So, me bucko, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, ya bilge rat, and fly it on an H180. Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Aye aye! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Begad!

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