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

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