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Old 08-26-2020, 11:56 AM
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X-15-3

Ok, I lied. Yukonjohn and I had one more X-15 in us. He'd repainted four versions of 66670 and four of 66671, but none of X-15-3, 66672. The third X-15 carried an advanced flight control system that was considered “self-adaptive.” Joe Walker set the world altitude record in 66672 in August 1963. Sadly, pilot Michael Adams was killed on 15 November 1967 when 66672 went into a spin, went out of control and crashed.

This is a model of 66672 a couple of months before Walker’s record flight. Unlike the other two X-15s, 66672 had a small yellow “3” on the forward fuselage, indicating it was the third X-15. Also unusually on this model, there were no national markings on the wings, and a panel on the starboard side tunnel had been replaced, so the “S. AI” was missing from the “U.S. AIR FORCE” legend. (The panel had been replaced or repainted by the time of Walker’s altitude-record flight.)

This version of the X-15-3 also carried a tail box that housed an infrared horizon scanner that measured space background noise.

The model is 1/72nd scale. I built this as per my normal routine and added the various scratchbuilt details, including the XLR-99 motor, the jettison tubes, the infrared horizon scanner and the third skid.
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X-15-3-img_0128.jpg   X-15-3-img_0130.jpg   X-15-3-img_0132.jpg   X-15-3-img_0137.jpg  
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Old 08-26-2020, 03:28 PM
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You have become the resident X-15 expert. Another well done version!
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Old 08-26-2020, 10:23 PM
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You have become the resident X-15 expert. Another well done version!
Thanks! Here's a family photo....
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Old 08-26-2020, 11:12 PM
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Thanks! Here's a family photo....
Handsome family.
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Old 08-27-2020, 02:18 PM
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Great work! And I love the collection as a whole. This is one of the few aircraft I too would like to build many a time in different stages and times. I already have almost all shuttles in different situations in dioramas but the X-15 also has something evocative to me. (Other planes I'd like to have more than once are the DH.88 Comet Racer and perhaps the X-1 and D-558-1 and 2)
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Old 08-27-2020, 02:22 PM
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X-15-3 uploaded and awaiting approval. It has been an education to see David's great builds of the X-15 family.


John
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Old 08-28-2020, 09:18 AM
Hans Christian Hans Christian is offline
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I’m definitely taking notes sir Dave!! super job!!
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:37 PM
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Dave,

Excellent job on the X-15 family. You are providing a very nice history of this very important program.

You mentioned Mike Adams' last flight. There is a nice memorial to Mike at the main crash site, built by a group of aviation enthusiasts including a family friend. The site is about 2 miles north of the town of Red Mountain along the west side of the Trona Road. I often traveled the Trona Road, but never got to visit the actual memorial because someone was always there...and I never approach strangers in the desert. The technical papers I have read noted that poor Mike was still doing Mach 4 completely out of control over the Trona Pinnacles to the northeast. Everything went horribly wrong on his flight.
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Old 08-29-2020, 10:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SAustin16 View Post
Dave,

Excellent job on the X-15 family. You are providing a very nice history of this very important program.

You mentioned Mike Adams' last flight. There is a nice memorial to Mike at the main crash site, built by a group of aviation enthusiasts including a family friend. The site is about 2 miles north of the town of Red Mountain along the west side of the Trona Road. I often traveled the Trona Road, but never got to visit the actual memorial because someone was always there...and I never approach strangers in the desert. The technical papers I have read noted that poor Mike was still doing Mach 4 completely out of control over the Trona Pinnacles to the northeast. Everything went horribly wrong on his flight.
There have actually been some recent (2014-ish) analyses of the incident:
https://www.semanticscholar.org/pape...4e9835307bf75a
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