Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Well, blow me down! Well, matey, blow me down! For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Well, blow me down! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! 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). Blimey! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Avast! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Ya scallywag! 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. Blimey! Avast! Blimey! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Well, blow me down! Begad! Blimey! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Arrr! Blimey! My original idea (Which changed) be t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Begad! Blimey! 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, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, and boosts it higher. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Ahoy! Blimey! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. Arrr! Ahoy! Blimey! It better fly right, me hearties, matey, or I will have a lot o' work t' do! Blimey!

Flight #1: (1)H180 + (8)D11's

T' Ninja flew for t' first time on July 20, matey, shiver me timbers, 1997. Begad! After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. So I needed a more powerful engine. An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, matey, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Begad! I ran a computer altitude sim, me hearties, shiver me timbers, matey, and found that an H140 SU would work, me hearties, arrr, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Well, blow me down! Arrr! So, me bucko, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, shiver me timbers, me hearties, and fly it on an H180. Ya scallywag! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Avast! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Avast!

Finally, it be ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, and set it up on pad 5. Begad! T' rocket be angled a little bit away from t' spectators (and downwind) for safety. 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... T' H lit after a short delay. Arrr! It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Begad! Just after t' H burned out, matey, t' D's lit for a little extra smoke and noise. After it coasted for 9 seconds, and t' ejection went off and t' chute came out. It took a little while for t' chute t' open, but it deployed after a second or two. Well, blow me down! Ahoy! It drifted for a long way, and be recovered undamaged. When I recovered the rocket, arrr, 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, me hearties, ya bilge rat, but it was still spectacular. Ahoy! Well, blow me down!