T' X-15: This is a "Sport-Scale" (not true scale) model o' t' famous X-15 rocket-powered research plane. Aye aye! This particular kit appears t' be newer than other Quest X-15 kits described here: It is a few inches longer, and a recommendation by Quest t' only use t' A8-3 or A6 motors. Ya scallywag! (Mine is definitely too heavy t' fly on an A8). Arrr! I chose t' paint me particular model gloss blue (not t' historically accurate black).
My kit came out pretty heavy as I used a full-sized can of Rustoleum 2X paint tryin' t' get a smooth, glossy finish. Apparently light coats o' this paint leave t' finish in somethin' like an orange-peel texture, me hearties, cool but nay good for low drag. Blimey! I discovered heavy, thick coats that would run with normal paints made for a smoother, glossy finish. But by then, ya bilge rat, thar was so much primer and paint on this model that it almost doubled t' weight o' this kit. In MHO, Rustoleum 2X (from Home Depot) sucks for flyin' models. Arrr! I wish I would have used t' ridiculously expensive yet lighter Testors stuff at $5 for a tiny 3-oz. can.
T' X-15 finally got a payload section addition. This adds another 3 inches t' t' rockets overall length. Begad! This will hold t' Altimeter Two, which no longer is at risk o' ejection shock damage or loss if t' clip fails. T' added bulkhead, painted payload tube and paddin' only adds an additional 13.6 grams o' weight t' this model.
She flies well and is nay affected by t' wind much, shiver me timbers, though I wish I could get her t' venture a little closer t' t' clouds. Actual measurements with an altimeter on board shows this model can go much higher than I estimated, with a C6-3 it reached 437 feet, and traveled at 89 mph. That's enough t' have it fly higher than the Great Pyramid o' Giza, now that it has eroded about 25 feet.
| Flight Date: | 2013-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | X-15 |
| Kit Name: | Quest - X-15 {Kit} (2014) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-5 |
| Expected Altitude: | 377 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 4.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 376 Feet |
T' X-15 was goin' t' fly again for a unique test flight. I was about t' compete in a 30-second duration contest, and me X-15 with t' original Quest parachute was t' one model with almost perfect 30-second flights. This was one last test flight t' determine if I should use t' 3 or 5 delay for 30 seconds.
To get those 30-second flights I had t' remove t' payload section and store t' Altimeter securely in a newly-engineered hollow nose cone, and it was also t' be tested on this flight.
T' test flight went as well as possible. Blimey! T' motor lit and took t' X-15 off t' pad with 7.8 Gs, ya bilge rat, and t' acceleration averaged 1.9 Gs for t' flight’s 2 second burn. After motor burn-out it flew at 84 mph, matey, coastin' for 3.7 seconds t' apogee at 376 feet. It then descended 29 feet before ejection at 5.2 seconds.
T' ‘chute opened well and t' rocket came back at 9 mph. It landed with a flight duration o' 32 seconds – probably enough t' win 1st place for t' duration contest. I then loaded up t' exact same motor type and parachute for t' official contest flight. T' last three flights were 30.1, me bucko, 31.7, arrr, and 32 seconds, a good, consistent average!
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-5 |
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