Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Avast, me proud beauty! For people in HPR, this isn't so big. This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. As o' now, matey, shiver me timbers, I don't know what t' exact weight is, ya bilge rat, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Blimey! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Begad! Well, blow me down! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Arrr! Arrr! 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, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Aye aye! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Blimey! If t' main motor doesn't light, matey, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. Begad! 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. Arrr! After talkin' t' some people, arrr, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Avast! Ahoy! So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, arrr, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Ya scallywag! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Begad! So, arrr, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, me bucko, and fly it on an H180. Avast! 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. Begad! Avast!

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