Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

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

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