Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

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