Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, arrr, matey, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Begad! Ya scallywag! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, matey, and is 4" in diameter. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! As o' now, I don't know what t' exact weight is, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). Aye aye! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Begad! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Arrr! 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. Avast! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Ahoy! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Aye aye! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Avast! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Begad! Aye aye! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Arrr! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, ya bilge rat, and push the chute out. Begad! It better fly right, ya bilge rat, 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. Ya scallywag! After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, me hearties, me hearties, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, me hearties, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, me hearties, and fly it on an H180. Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Begad! Aye aye! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Ahoy!

Finally, shiver me timbers, it was ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, and set it up on pad 5. Ahoy! 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, t' LCO made everyone stand up and watch this rocket, and it be a very heads up flight. Begad! Blimey! 5...4...3...2...1...Launch... Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' H lit after a short delay. It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Ahoy! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! Just after t' H burned out, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It took a little while for t' chute t' open, matey, but it deployed after a second or two. It drifted for a long way, ya bilge rat, and was recovered undamaged. When I recovered the rocket, I smartly looked, shiver me timbers, me bucko, and it appeared that all engines ignited. Aye aye! Blimey! Later, me hearties, it was pointed out t' me that only 6 o' t' 8 lit, but it be still spectacular. Well, blow me down! Blimey!