Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, arrr, this thin' is huge. For people in HPR, this isn't so big. Begad! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and is 4" in diameter. Aye aye! 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 was 4.5 lbs). Avast! Blimey! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Well, blow me down! Blimey! PML nose cone add up t' quite a lot. It has a 36" round chute from.

It has a 29mm motor mount tube, me bucko, me bucko, and I built a booster pod for it. Begad! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Blimey! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Well, blow me down! My original idea (Which changed) be t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Avast! Ahoy! 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, me hearties, and boosts it higher. Avast! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Aye aye! If t' main motor doesn't light, arrr, shiver me timbers, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, me hearties, matey, and push the chute out. Avast! It better fly right, shiver me timbers, 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. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! After talkin' t' some people, ya bilge rat, arrr, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Well, blow me down! So I needed a more powerful engine. Begad! An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Ya scallywag! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, shiver me timbers, matey, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Ya scallywag! Arrr! So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, ya bilge rat, and fly it on an H180. Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Aye aye! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's. Begad!

Finally, me bucko, shiver me timbers, it was ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, and set it up on pad 5. T' rocket was angled a little bit away from t' spectators (and downwind) for safety. Aye aye! 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. 5...4...3...2...1...Launch... Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' H lit after a short delay. Avast, me proud beauty! It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Ahoy! Just after t' H burned out, 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. Begad! Begad! It drifted for a long way, arrr, shiver me timbers, and was recovered undamaged. Begad! Ya scallywag! When I recovered the rocket, me bucko, I smartly looked, and it appeared that all engines ignited. Begad! Avast, ya bilge rat, me proud beauty! Later, it was pointed out t' me that only 6 o' t' 8 lit, but it be still spectacular. Ahoy!