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: | 2013-06-30 |
| Rocket Name: | X-15 |
| Kit Name: | Quest - X-15 {Kit} (2014) |
| Flyer's Name: | Rich DeAngelis |
| Motors: | C6-5 |
| Expected Altitude: | 377.00 Feet |
| Wind Speed: | 4.00 mph |
| Launch Site: | Fort Indiantown Gap, PA |
| Actual Altitude: | 335.00 Feet |
With the successful test flight, I now had to fly the contest flight. I was only allowed one rocket and one test flight, and this was it. To have a chance with this contest, I needed everything to be about the same as the last flight to hit 30 seconds exactly.
The motor lit, and the X-15 accelerated off the rail at 6.7 Gs, one G less than before. The 1.9 second burn averaged 1.9 Gs, which was good. It hit 81 mph, only 3 slower than last time. It then coasted for 3.7 seconds, just like the last flight also. It reached an apogee of 335 feet, 41 feet lower than before. With less altitude, the parachute had to open a bit quicker this time for me to make the 30 second mark.
Whereas the last C6-5 delayed for 5.2 seconds, this C6-5 only delayed for 4.8 seconds, only 1.1 seconds after the lower apogee. In fact the faster delay helped even out the flight differences, and this flight ejected at 315 feet, only 32 lower than the previous flight. There was still a chance of hitting close to the 30 second target.
The parachute hit the wind and became tangled and twisted to the shock cord elastic, so the canopy didn’t open at all. Instead of falling at 8 or 9 mph to a winning duration, it fell at 15 mph. The flight was over in 20.4 seconds, and my chances of winning was over as soon as the parachute and shock cord started twisting together. In 15 flights I never had a completely un-opened parachute on the X-15 before. Murphy, Hrumph! The bright side: There was no damage to this very tough rocket, just my pride.
| Stage | Motor(s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Estes C6-5 |
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