Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, this thin' is huge. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! For people in HPR, ya bilge rat, this isn't so big. This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, and is 4" in diameter. As o' now, I don't know what t' exact weight is, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, but I it is around 3 1/5 lbs (Loaded weight was 4.5 lbs). Ya scallywag! Well, blow me down! Blimey! A lot o' t' weight is in t' payload section. Well, blow me down! Blimey! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Blimey! Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! Blimey! PML nose cone add up t' quite a lot. It has a 36" round chute from.

It has a 29mm motor mount tube, matey, arrr, and I built a booster pod for it. Arrr! Blimey! 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. Aye aye! My original idea (Which changed) was t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. Blimey! T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Ya scallywag! At a either .5 or 1 second, me hearties, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, arrr, and boosts it higher. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, and push the chute out. It better fly right, matey, 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, matey, 1997. Well, blow me down! Avast! After talkin' t' some people, shiver me timbers, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bad idea because composites are harder t' light. Arrr! So I needed a more powerful engine. Well, blow me down! Avast! An announcement be made askin' if anyone could help me, arrr, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Avast! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, shiver me timbers, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. So, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, and fly it on an H180. Arrr! 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.

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