Larry's X-15


 The X-15 was an experimental airplane, and has an odd shape (part rocket, part plane), with short wings and two vertical stabilizing fins. Estes made an X-15 kit during the early 1970s, then made a "NASA X-15" kit #889 (pictured above) from 1988 to 1989. This kit is no longer available, but the plans are available at JimZ's site. I printed the plans for that kit, ordered the body tube, nose cone, and other parts from my favorite on-line source, Commonwealth , cut the fins by tracing the pattern in the plans, and built the X-15. The "wide" body is accomplished by gluing cut paperstock (from OfficeMax) onto the body tube and wings, then the whole rocket is covered with a slurry of carpenter's wood sealer and sanded before spray painting with gloss black paint. I'd intended to print the decals on transparency paper, and then glue them on using spray on photo adhesive, but the white logos weren't visible when printed from my bubble jet; I've ordered some regular water transfer decals from Commonwealth, and will affix them for display.

I was concerned about launching this rocket with any wind, because rockets tend to "weathercock", or turn into the wind, and I expected that to be pronounced with the X-15 because of it's assymetric fins with the pair of wings running the length of the body. I actually purchased a small piezo device, which would emit a loud buzzing (until the small 12volt battery runs out), and was going to attach it with Velcro inside the body tube. I decided to avoid the added weight for the maiden flight, since we were launching in a fairly open playing field with clear blue skies, and save the piezo locator device for launches near tall grass. Indeed, with only a light breeze, it did weathercock (see picture of liftoff below) and flew several hundred feet upwind (over Sarah's school!). Fortunately, after the parachute opened at ~800 feet (predicted altitude using a C6-7 engine), the same wind carried it back to us (over a "rocket-eating" tree) for a successful recovery! We made two flights that day.

X-15 on pad for maiden flight, October 24th


X-15 lifts off!


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