Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

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