Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, me hearties, shiver me timbers, this thin' is huge. Begad! For people in HPR, arrr, this isn't so big. Blimey! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, arrr, shiver me timbers, and is 4" in diameter. As o' now, me bucko, I don't know what t' exact weight is, shiver me timbers, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight be 4.5 lbs). Ya scallywag! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Begad! 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, arrr, me bucko, and I built a booster pod for it. Aye aye! Well, blow me down! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Avast, matey, me proud beauty! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, shiver me timbers, click here. Begad! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Begad! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Begad! At a either .5 or 1 second, shiver me timbers, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Avast, me proud beauty! 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, and push the chute out. Blimey! It better fly right, matey, 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! Avast! After talkin' t' some people, arrr, matey, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Begad! Arrr! So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, ya bilge rat, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! I ran a computer altitude sim, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and found that an H140 SU would work, me bucko, matey, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Arrr! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, shiver me timbers, and fly it on an H180. Arrr! 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. Avast, me proud beauty!

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