Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, me hearties, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, me hearties, matey, this isn't so big. Avast, me proud beauty! Well, blow me down! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, ya bilge rat, and is 4" in diameter. Well, blow me down! Well, blow me down! As o' now, me bucko, I don't know what t' exact weight is, 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. Well, blow me down! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Begad! Arrr! 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. Ya scallywag! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Begad! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Begad! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Arrr! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Avast! 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. Begad! Begad! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, ya bilge rat, arrr, and push the chute out. Begad! 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, me hearties, me bucko, 1997. Aye aye! 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. So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, ya bilge rat, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! I ran a computer altitude sim, ya bilge rat, and found that an H140 SU would work, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast, me proud beauty! So, matey, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, and fly it on an H180. Begad! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Aye aye!

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