Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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. Ya scallywag! As o' now, arrr, I don't know what t' exact weight is, matey, matey, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight be 4.5 lbs). Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Blimey! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, click here. Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Blimey! My original idea (Which changed) be 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. Avast! Blimey! At a either .5 or 1 second, ya bilge rat, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, ya bilge rat, and boosts it higher. Blimey! Blimey! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Arrr! Blimey! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, matey, and push the chute out. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! It better fly right, 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. Avast! After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bad idea because composites are harder t' light. Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! So I needed a more powerful engine. Begad! An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, me hearties, me bucko, arrr, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Begad! I ran a computer altitude sim, arrr, and found that an H140 SU would work, arrr, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Ahoy! 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. Aye aye! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Ya scallywag!

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