Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Arrr! For people in HPR, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, this isn't so big. Begad! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. Arrr! As o' now, arrr, I don't know what t' exact weight is, me hearties, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight be 4.5 lbs). Arrr! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Well, blow me down! Begad! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Arrr! Well, shiver me timbers, blow me down! 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, me bucko, 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. For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Aye aye! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Well, blow me down! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, matey, and boosts it higher. Avast, me proud beauty! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Avast! Arrr! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. Avast! 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, 1997. Avast, me proud beauty! After talkin' t' some people, arrr, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Avast! So I needed a more powerful engine. Well, blow me down! An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, ya bilge rat, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, me hearties, and fly it on an H180. Ahoy! 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.

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