Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

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