Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

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