1/3 Scale X-15 Project Build Thread

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

PunkRocketScience

Well-Known Member
The Punk Rocket Science build team is at it again... After our success with the Interceptor-M project, we have settled on our project for the 2009 Plaster Blaster.

We are looking at designing it around 18" diameter sonotube, and going with the original 2 motor configuration. It should come in around 16.5 feet tall and 200 pounds

I'm attaching the first rough draft rocsim file. As I get the design nailed down, I'll post more.

View attachment PRX-15.zip

Bondo

Well-Known Member
Big T,
Looks like a good start to a great project! I'm looking forward to a great season of building. Oct is right around the corner........ Bondo

rstaff3

Oddroc-eteer
It's going to be rough to top the Interceptor...can't wait to see this project unfold.

BB-ROCK

Well-Known Member
wow, impressive project. can't wait to see how this will come out at the end.

BB-ROCK

cjl

Well-Known Member
1/3 scale X-15?

Holy cow - this'll be a monster. Should be pretty awesome

kelltym88

Well-Known Member
So now I have 9 months to plan to attend PB. I was wondering what you guys were going to do this year.

Bondo

Well-Known Member
Big Todd,
How's the CAD coming along? Anxious to get some stuff started, like shopping for stuff b4 I head off for some r & r in Mex. Hope you had some quality computer time yesterday.
We missed you at the launch, conditions were perfect. Like 78-80F, 2-3mph wind out of the north, just a great day for flying.
See you at the next build Feb 22, Sun 11-4. If any one wishes to join in, send PM and I'll get you the scoop.

Peartree

Cyborg Rocketeer
Staff member
Global Mod
Big Todd,

We missed you at the launch, conditions were perfect. Like 78-80F, 2-3mph wind out of the north, just a great day for flying.

(as he goes back outside to shovel more snow that drifted...again)

Bondo-man

Member
Our Plater City launch site is located east of San Diego in the desert area near El Centro, CA. We can only fly in the fall, winter & spring months as summertime temps approach 120F. Winter temps are generally 70-80F, that's why "all" the snow birds end up out here in the winter. The dreaded "W" is our only worry and we've been blown out more than not lately. So a windless day was quite the treat!
But let's get back to the X15 build thread...........

rokitflite

Well-Known Member
Darn... I was hoping for a 5X R2-D2

RocketMonkey

Well-Known Member
Todd,
I wont be at the 15th launch but I wanted to tell you that I removed the record button from one of the...eh,hem, "modified" CVS cameras and wired it to a set of leads I see no reason that your controler won't work. I'll work on building a bay to test it(I cant make enought g's long enough just lifting it really fast I tried) also Iwill need to modify a usb cable(I have plenty) To power it. The longest I can change the firmware to stay on if powered by it's own batteries is 225s but if you power it through the USB jack it will stay on till they die.
Scott

Daedalus

Well-Known Member
And will you be building a 1/3 scale B-52 mothership to go with it? That would be insanely cool rather than just exceptionally cool!

Good luck with the build, I'll be looking forward to following the build thread.

PunkRocketScience

Well-Known Member
And will you be building a 1/3 scale B-52 mothership to go with it? That would be insanely cool rather than just exceptionally cool!

Good luck with the build, I'll be looking forward to following the build thread.
Thanks... and no... The cost of 2 M motors is going to be insane. Throw in the cost of 8 mini-turbine engines and my wife will divorce me...

RocketMonkey

Well-Known Member
Hey Todd,
I think 1/3 the size of the real thing is still not that "mini". And that's where the two sets of books come in.

Bondo

Well-Known Member
Working with the 18" SonnaTube as our base, we are looking at an over all length of 16.12 feet with a 7.5 foot wingspan. The tube length will need to cone in at 109.55 inches (9.129 feet), with the nose cone at 66.11 inches and the tailcone at 17.81.
Man, this baby is gonna be huge! I can't wrap my arms around an 18" tube. That makes it about 6ft around! Stay tuned, first build date is scheduled for Feb 22....

RocketMonkey

Well-Known Member
okay, so looks like I'm it....
Well at the last/first build session we got the tubes cut to length and the coupler started the large body tube was glassed and centering rings were cut...there was much discussion as we tend to make these things up as we go along and we came to the reaization that 66+inches of nose cone is friggi'n huge...that is a quick and dirty version and I'm sure the guys will chime in with something I missed but it's late and I gotta' get up at 4am. There is a photobucket album dedicated to this build here is a link to the album...as time permits I'll try to get these titled. https://photobucket.com/PunkrocketscienceX-15

Bondo-man

Member
Scott, nice job on the photo link. I have uploaded a couple of your photos to this message for quick viewing.
We had a great turnout for the build, 10 at my count. We got some of the grunt work started, fiberglassing, cutting rings, cutting tubes, ect.
Does any one claim the Dremel set that was left behind??

PunkRocketScience

Well-Known Member
What's up Rick? Are you developing a split personality? Or has someone else become your Bondo Padawan?

Great build day guys! Sorry I had to bail out early! Did you get the glass done on the tubes?

RocketMonkey

Well-Known Member
Oops,
That was mine...brushes overheated and glazed so it got put by the door to get it out of the way...Sorry.

double post...

jimzcatz

Boss, Carolina Rocket Mafia
And will you be building a 1/3 scale B-52 mothership to go with it? That would be insanely cool rather than just exceptionally cool!

Good luck with the build, I'll be looking forward to following the build thread.

been done

Bravo52

We were putting on the annual airshow at Barksdale in the early 2005 and looked into having this guy come to the show and put on demo flights. The cost was going to be about $10K and the cost of travel to the US, but the plane crashed.............. we were not going to pay that much anyway, but it was a cool thought. https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2084973582041454459 It didn't turn out well. burkefj Well-Known Member TRF Supporter I think that's closer to 1/6 scale, which would be about 26 feet long....not 1/3 scale, that would be quite a bit bigger.... Frank Bondo Well-Known Member Todd, we got the coupler all glass'd so we couldn't glass the 4ft section as the coupler was inside that tube drying. It worked out pretty cool as we made it the way Joe showed us. I'll show you next time. We also got all the centering rings cut, lots of saw dust! Are you gonna post any pic's? Also, I have used dual indentities of late........... PunkRocketScience Well-Known Member Hehe... Bondo-man and his sidekick Bondo are never seen at the same time... All the pics in the Photobucket account are mine! Still waiting for Sparky to post his... Hopefully soon! Can't wait to see how the coupler was done. Always something new to learn! SpartaChris Well-Known Member Very cool guys! This thing's gonna be sweet! We just started our ARG project for next year. It will probably be done in time to make an appearance at Plaster Blaster, but it will likely be only for display unless I can convince the rest of the team to give it a test flight before we shove the P motor in it. Link to the build is below. georgegassaway Lifetime Supporter TRF Lifetime Supporter We were putting on the annual airshow at Barksdale in the early 2005 and looked into having this guy come to the show and put on demo flights. The cost was going to be about$10K and the cost of travel to the US, but the plane crashed.............. we were not going to pay that much anyway, but it was a cool thought.
It is probably a good thing your group did not get him. I had heard of this before a few years ago, at least about the first one that crashed. Yes, first one, they built another and totaled it too. The first one was definitely pilot error. The second one, I could not find a good explanation for, as to whether it was structural, mechanical, or again pilot error. However, the British version of the AMA who has to individually approve model planes as large as this (same thing here), and reportedly they will NOT allow this person/group to fly a third one.

- George Gassaway

Handeman

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
I think that's closer to 1/6 scale, which would be about 26 feet long....not 1/3 scale, that would be quite a bit bigger....

Frank
The X-15 was 50 ft, 9 inches long. Which puts a 1/3 scale just shy of 17 feet long.

I think they should have went with a 1/2 scale.

Bondo

Well-Known Member
We did indeed consider 1/2 scale but there were too amny obstacles to over come for that size to be a viable project for us here in CA.
The motors required to push that big of a project skyward would have put us well over the CA limit, and transporting such a large object would have been a nightmare. Let alone storge space in my garage, project supply costs, ect.
We feel plenty challenged with the 1/3 scale. Believe me, this project will look mighty big when completed so we're cool with it.

Bondo

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by burkefj
I think that's closer to 1/6 scale, which would be about 26 feet long....not 1/3 scale, that would be quite a bit bigger....

Handeman, the post above was about the size of the B52, not the X15. Your dimensions are accurate for the X15. Our 1/3 scale will be about 17ft +/-