The X-15: This is a "Sport-Scale" (not true scale) model of the famous X-15 rocket-powered research plane. This particular kit appears to be newer than other Quest X-15 kits described here: It is a few inches longer, and a recommendation by Quest to only use the A8-3 or A6 motors. (Mine is definitely too heavy to fly on an A8). I chose to paint my particular model gloss blue (not the historically accurate black).
My kit came out pretty heavy as I used a full-sized can of Rustoleum 2X paint trying to get a smooth, glossy finish. Apparently light coats of this paint leave the finish in something like an orange-peel texture, cool but not good for low drag. I discovered heavy, thick coats that would run with normal paints made for a smoother, glossy finish. But by then, there was so much primer and paint on this model that it almost doubled the weight of this kit. In MHO, Rustoleum 2X (from Home Depot) sucks for flying models. I wish I would have used the ridiculously expensive yet lighter Testors stuff at $5 for a tiny 3-oz. can.
The X-15 finally got a payload section addition. This adds another 3 inches to the rockets overall length. This will hold the Altimeter Two, which no longer is at risk of ejection shock damage or loss if the clip fails. The added bulkhead, painted payload tube and padding only adds an additional 13.6 grams of weight to this model.
She flies well and is not affected by the wind much, though I wish I could get her to venture a little closer to the 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 to have it fly higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza, now that it has eroded about 25 feet.
| Flight Date: | 2012-12-02 |
| Rocket Name: | X-15 |
| Kit Name: | Quest - X-15 {Kit} (2014) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-3 |
| Expected Altitude: | 250.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 7.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Penn Manor School Lancaster PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 258.00 Feet |
This was going to be the last flight of the day, and the last of the year 2012. Others have packed up and the remaining club members already declared “last flight”. I had few low-altitude choices left, so I decided to send the X-15 up again for one last flight, making this the fourth and final test flight of the Iris payload.
The C6 motor lit up and burned for 2 seconds. This time I got a weaker peak acceleration of 6.3 Gs, but the average acceleration for the burn was 1.5 Gs. That was enough to push the X-15 to a top speed of 66 mph. Not so great considering this model has flown over 100 mph on a C before. It turned into the wind again but not nearly as severely as the last flight.
This C motor also had a short delay of only 2.6 seconds. The ejection fired at 235 feet but this model wanted to keep flying, gaining an additional 23 feet for an apogee of 258 feet in the last 4/10 seconds. Again the parachute came out of the Nomex cloth and fully opened, letting this model descend at 10 mph.
The model turned south into the wind during the flight, but with the deployment it drifted west instead of north as expected, so it landed a good 150 feet away from the launch pad. The flight lasted 20.5 seconds and was a good success, and a good ending to a very interesting year of rocket flights.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-3 |
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