Quest Aerospace is offering an X-15 kit parts pack
HERE
X-15 Parts Pack includes the following parts:
2014-1010 X-15 Instructions
2014-1030 X-15 Decal
20222 X-15 Nose Cone
33030 X-15 Balsa Big Sheet
33051 X-15 Balsa Strakes
Right now the complete kit is OOP.
The parts pack listed above is whats available from Quest.
To the right are all the parts needed for the complete build:
To build the complete model you'll need to add these parts not included in the parts pack:12" or 15" Parachute
2" Launch Lug
135 lb. Kevlar
Elastic shock Cord
Engine Hook
BT-20/35mm Centering Rings
.25 oz. Clay Weight
Engine Block
Motor Mount Tube
35mm Quest tube, 11" or 13"
Some had unstable flights with the original model. Later, Quest lengthened the 35mm body tube from 11" to 13". A clay weight was also added to the kit.
The X-15 has gone over some recommended engine changes.
Toward the end of the kit run, the A6-4 was the only recommended engine.
On this build I'll play it safe and use the 13" longer 35mm tube and add .25 oz. of clay in the nose cone.
I may not get stellar altitudes, but it should be stable!
My dad worked on the attitude sensing system for the X-15 back in the sixties. He often commented on how difficult the pilots said it was to fly and the horror they all felt when they lost one that "bounced" off the atmosphere on re-entry. It is no wonder that anything close to scale is statically unstable.
ReplyDeleteWasn’t that Neil Armstrong who bounced on reentry of the X-15? It shot him over Pasadena and he almost didn’t make it back to the dry lake bed. I think he said he threaded the needle between some Joshua trees prior to landing. Ahh... the good old days.
ReplyDeleteThe X-15 didn't really fly high enough to "bounce off the atmosphere," but the one that had a fatal crash came down near where I live. It was flown by USAF Maj. Michael Adams and suffered through a flat spin and pilot-induced oscillations that led to structural failure. There is a memorial at the crash site and it is fairly easily accessible by the public.
ReplyDeleteScott,
ReplyDeleteI think this is the story . . .
http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/neil-armstrongs-longest-landing-120721.htm
Parts link is now http://www.questaerospace.com/X-15_Parts_Bag/p4193205_16433021.aspx
ReplyDelete