Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, shiver me timbers, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, this isn't so big. This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. Well, blow me down! 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! Ya scallywag! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Avast! Arrr! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Avast! 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. Begad! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, arrr, click here. Well, blow me down! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Begad! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Aye aye! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Ahoy! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Arrr! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, arrr, and push the chute out. Blimey! 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, me hearties, matey, ya bilge rat, 1997. After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bad idea because composites are harder t' light. So I needed a more powerful engine. Arrr! An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, shiver me timbers, matey, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. I ran a computer altitude sim, me hearties, me bucko, and found that an H140 SU would work, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. So, ya bilge rat, 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. Begad! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty!

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