Does any one remember this about Estes X-15?

[Woody's Workshop]

Read about it "HERE"

It would seam that people that are now trying to sell these on Ebay are breaking the law.

 

[Steve Shannon]

I remember. It was quite a discussion on Rocketry Planet.

 

[fyrwrxz]

Great-now i want one! LOL!

 

[tmacklin]

I remember. It was quite a discussion on Rocketry Planet.

Me too. IIRC, there was a boy scout from the DFW area who was impaled by an Estes X-15 when it weather cocked at liftoff and went cruise missile mode. I believe this incident happened in Oklahoma. The boy was lucky as the impact just missed his heart.

 

[GregGleason]

The story.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2010/01/25/20100124-2-Dallas-area-Boy-Scouts-honored-1220

Greg

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Thanks for story Greg.
The last sentence made little sense to me though.

 

[Lowpuller]

Woody,

I believe the mom was implying that he was back to acting like a normal teenager, and was even grounded. Meaning the mothering had ended.

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Ahh, that could be. Makes sense to me that way.

 

[bob jablonski]

I have one in my collection and it isnt going anywhere (I am a X15 freak)

 

[Incongruent]

(I am a X15 freak)

Me too, except without the X15 part.

I built a nearly scale (looks similar) X-15 and found that it consistantly veered away from the wind, at the launch I was told that the body created lift, but I suspect it also has to do with a) How the front wings are high enough that the wind easily hits it while it leaves the launch rod and b) the CP is behind (looking vertically) half of the cardboard cutout area of the rocket. (The CG may have been behind that point)

I have since increased the nose weight. The BT-50 (24mm) based rocket is now just shy of 3oz. (So THAT's why nearly all the kits have extended body tubes!)

Still not painted. Has not flown successfully enough yet. I also need to finish up the back end (draw, cut, and add a transition, add the LOX vent, Fuel discharge, Fuel vent, and I can't remember the last one but it was a vent.)

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Found another one, New listing on Ebay today.
"29.99 + 8.00", not a bad deal.

 

[Cl(VII)]

The story.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2010/01/25/20100124-2-Dallas-area-Boy-Scouts-honored-1220

Greg

Wow. The recently retired Senior Pastor of Arapaho UMC is a friend; I'm going to have to ask him about this one next time I see him. I wouldn't have thought that anything propelled by an 18mm motor would have that kind of penetrating power.

 

[jadebox]

The story.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2010/01/25/20100124-2-Dallas-area-Boy-Scouts-honored-1220

The X-15 recall started before that accident.

I think the X-15 was recalled because the way the motor was retained left a gap in the back which let out enough of the ejection charge that deployment of the 'chute wasn't reliable.

I still have one, but I glued the retaining ring into the motor mount so that no one can attempt to fly it,

-- Roger

 

[Tramper Al]

The X-15 recall started before that accident.

I think the X-15 was recalled because the way the motor was retained left a gap in the back which let out enough of the ejection charge that deployment of the 'chute wasn't reliable.

I still have one, but I glued the retaining ring into the motor mount so that no one can attempt to fly it,

-- Roger

With this knowledge, can the gap be closed and the motor mount be made air tight? And loosen the nose cone if needed. It seems to be an all plastic RTF model, but it's not bad looking.

Also, the packaging states "Unlimited Launches!" so that's something.

 

[GregGleason]

Wow. The recently retired Senior Pastor of Arapaho UMC is a friend; I'm going to have to ask him about this one next time I see him. I wouldn't have thought that anything propelled by an 18mm motor would have that kind of penetrating power.

I guess it was one of those things that was like a one in a million shot. Because the flight was more horizontal than vertical and had a boatload of kinetic energy and the all plastic body gave it a heavier than normal cross sectional density and the plastic tip likely didn't deform much at impact and the impact was at or near burnout and the scout being at the wrong place ...

I'm just glad that things were not worse.

Greg

 

[Len B]

I have one and flew it once prior to the recall. I just took it out of service and don't plan to fly it. It flew fine so I guess it didn't lose pressure in my case.

 

[Micromeister]

Estes X-15 wasn't all that Scale to begin with! The extended body and rearer set Wings seem to be the cause of this model going Cruise Missile.

I've been flying X-15 SCALE PMC's for a very long time in all scales from 144th to 1/32nd. With proper nose weight to move the CG to give 1.5 caliper stability they all fly straight and ture. One of our club members built a 1/70th X-15 (Scale) Paper & Balsa Model for a demonstration Launch which also flew very nicely with a slight roll on the way up.

That said: I have never seen an Estes X-15 fly correctly, Our club banned the model from flying shortly before Estes issured the recall because of it's erratic and unpredictable flight profile.

Our club has also suffered an impaled member due to an offset shuttle model going horizontal after clearing the rod. Impailing a PNC-50 Nose cone deep enough in the members leg to require surgery.
We have also witnessed an A10 powered 13mm model split a 4" diameter tree with a styrene plastic Nose Cone. Wouldn't have believed it possilbe, However seeing is believing.