Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Avast! Ya scallywag! For people in HPR, shiver me timbers, me bucko, arrr, this isn't so big. This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. Ya scallywag! As o' now, I don't know what t' exact weight is, arrr, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Begad! Ya scallywag! 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, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and I built a booster pod for it. Ya scallywag! It consists o' a rin' o' 8 24mm engine tubes glued t' t' inside o' a coupler. Avast! For a picture or t' back o' t' loaded rocket, click here. Avast, me proud beauty! My original idea (Which changed) be t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Well, blow me down! Avast, me proud beauty! 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, shiver me timbers, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, ya bilge rat, and boosts it higher. T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Well, me bucko, blow me down! If t' main motor doesn't light, shiver me timbers, matey, me bucko, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. 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. Ya scallywag! After talkin' t' some people, arrr, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G be a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. Ahoy! Arrr! Blimey! 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, ya bilge rat, matey, and found that an H140 SU would work, me hearties, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. So, ya bilge rat, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, me hearties, and fly it on an H180. Begad! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Ya scallywag! Blimey! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's.

Finally, it was ready t' fly. We took it out t' t' pads, me bucko, 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 be a very heads up flight. Begad! 5...4...3...2...1...Launch... Well, blow me down! T' H lit after a short delay. Well, blow me down! It boosted straight up on a column o' smoke. Blimey! Just after t' H burned out, me bucko, t' D's lit for a little extra smoke and noise. Ya scallywag! 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. Avast, me proud beauty! It drifted for a long way, arrr, and be recovered undamaged. When I recovered the rocket, I smartly looked, and it appeared that all engines ignited. Well, blow me down! Avast! Later, me bucko, me hearties, it was pointed out t' me that only 6 o' t' 8 lit, ya bilge rat, but it was still spectacular. Arrr! Avast!