Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Begad! For people in HPR, matey, ya bilge rat, this isn't so big. This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. As o' now, arrr, I don't know what t' exact weight is, shiver me timbers, 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! 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! Blimey! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Arrr! Blimey! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Well, blow me down! Blimey! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, ya bilge rat, and boosts it higher. Aye aye! Blimey! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Avast! Blimey! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. Begad! Blimey! Avast, matey, me proud beauty! Blimey! It better fly right, ya bilge rat, me bucko, or I will have a lot o' work t' do! Blimey!

Flight #1: (1)H180 + (8)D11's

T' Ninja flew for t' first time on July 20, 1997. After talkin' t' some people, me hearties, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Avast! So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, arrr, arrr, matey, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Arrr! I ran a computer altitude sim, me bucko, shiver me timbers, and found that an H140 SU would work, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast, me proud beauty! So, me bucko, arrr, me bucko, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, and fly it on an H180. Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Begad! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Begad!

Finally, it be ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, and set it up on pad 5. Begad! T' rocket was angled a little bit away from t' spectators (and downwind) for safety. Begad! 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. Avast! 5...4...3...2...1...Launch... Ahoy! T' H lit after a short delay. It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Well, blow me down! Just after t' H burned out, me hearties, t' D's lit for a little extra smoke and noise. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, but it deployed after a second or two. Ahoy! It drifted for a long way, me bucko, matey, shiver me timbers, and was recovered undamaged. Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! When I recovered the rocket, I smartly looked, and it appeared that all engines ignited. Begad! Later, me bucko, it was pointed out t' me that only 6 o' t' 8 lit, but it be still spectacular. Arrr! Avast!