Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, me bucko, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Ahoy! Blimey! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, me bucko, and is 4" in diameter. As o' now, ya bilge rat, I don't know what t' exact weight is, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). Ahoy! Blimey! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Well, blow me down! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! PML nose cone add up t' quite a lot. It has a 36" round chute from.

It has a 29mm motor mount tube, shiver me timbers, and I built a booster pod for it. Arrr! 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. Blimey! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Aye aye! Begad! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, arrr, shiver me timbers, and boosts it higher. Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Aye aye! If t' main motor doesn't light, me bucko, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, ya bilge rat, and push the chute out. Avast! Well, blow me down! 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 bucko, arrr, 1997. Avast, me proud beauty! 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! Ahoy! So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. I ran a computer altitude sim, me hearties, and found that an H140 SU would work, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. So, me bucko, 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. He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Avast, me proud beauty!

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