Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Ahoy! Blimey! For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Avast, me proud beauty! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. Ahoy! Avast! As o' now, arrr, shiver me timbers, I don't know what t' exact weight is, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). Well, blow me down! 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, me hearties, 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. Aye aye! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, me bucko, click here. Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Begad! Begad! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, me bucko, and boosts it higher. Arrr! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Begad! If t' main motor doesn't light, matey, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, shiver me timbers, matey, and push the chute out. Ya scallywag! Aye aye! It better fly right, me hearties, 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, shiver me timbers, 1997. Arrr! After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Blimey! So I needed a more powerful engine. Ahoy! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Begad! Aye aye! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, shiver me timbers, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Begad! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, me hearties, arrr, me bucko, and fly it on an H180. Ahoy! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Well, blow me down! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Ahoy! Begad!

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