Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Avast! For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Begad! Arrr! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, arrr, and is 4" in diameter. Avast! 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). Ya scallywag! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Well, blow me down! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Begad! 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. Begad! 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, click here. Arrr! 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. At a either .5 or 1 second, me bucko, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, shiver me timbers, and boosts it higher. Arrr! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Well, blow me down! If t' main motor doesn't light, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, shiver me timbers, and push the chute out. Avast! Avast, me proud beauty! It better fly right, 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, ya bilge rat, 1997. Avast, me proud beauty! Avast! After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Avast, me proud beauty! So I needed a more powerful engine. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, me bucko, me bucko, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Arrr! I ran a computer altitude sim, arrr, me bucko, and found that an H140 SU would work, me hearties, me bucko, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast! Ya scallywag! So, me bucko, arrr, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, and fly it on an H180. Arrr! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Blimey! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Avast! Begad!

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