Scratch Superscale Ninja Original Design / Scratch Built

Scratch - Superscale Ninja {Scratch}

Contributed by Eric Speckman

Manufacturer: Scratch

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

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

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