Superscale Ninja
(Contributed - by Eric Speckman)  

For someone who is used t' Estes kits, arrr, me bucko, this thin' is huge. Begad! Ahoy! For people in HPR, shiver me timbers, matey, this isn't so big. Well, blow me down! Begad! This rocket stands 4' 9.4" tall, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and is 4" in diameter. Ya scallywag! Arrr! As o' now, shiver me timbers, 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. Aye aye! Arrr! T' heavy bulkhead and t' 10 oz. Avast, me proud beauty! 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. Begad! 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, matey, matey, click here. Arrr! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! My original idea (Which changed) be t' following: It will have a timer t' air start t' main G64 Aerotech reload. T' flight plan is as follows (hopefully): Ignition o' t' 8 D11-P's with a car battery. Arrr! Blimey! At a either .5 or 1 second, t' timer (or thermalite) ignites t' G64, arrr, and boosts it higher. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! T' main motor's ejection will hopefully deploy t' chute. Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Blimey! Blimey! If t' main motor doesn't light, t' timer will ignite an ejection charge, me bucko, and push the chute out. Aye aye! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! It better fly right, 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, me bucko, 1997. After talkin' t' some people, I decided that boostin' on t' D's and airstartin' t' G was a bilge-suckin' idea because composites are harder t' light. So I needed a more powerful engine. Blimey! Well, blow me down! An announcement was made askin' if anyone could help me, me bucko, and Frank Noble was willin' t' help me with me project. Begad! I ran a computer altitude sim, and found that an H140 SU would work, matey, ya bilge rat, but t' motor dealer did nay have any. Ahoy! So, matey, I was able t' borrow a reload casing, and fly it on an H180. Avast! Frank loaded t' motor, and explained how t' drill t' delay t' t' right length. Aye aye! Begad! He showed me how to use teflon tubes and thermalite t' ignite t' D11's.

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