Inside the streamlined pylon, a hydraulic ram disengaged the three heavy shackles from the upper fuselage of the X-15. In his autobiography, Scott Crossfield described the first flight: North American Aviation Chief Engineering Test Pilot Albert Scott Crossfield in the cockpit of an X-15 before a flight. The aircraft reached 0.79 Mach (522 miles per hour, 840 kilometers per hour) during the 4 minute, 56.6 second flight. This was an unpowered glide flight to check the flying characteristics and aircraft systems, so there were no propellants or oxidizers aboard, other than hydrogen peroxide which powered the pumps and generators. It was airdropped from a Boeing NB-52A Stratofortress, 52-003, at 37,550 feet (11,445 meters) over Rosamond Dry Lake at 08:38:40 a.m, Pacific Daylight Time. Scott Crossfield, made the first flight of the X-15A hypersonic research rocketplane.ĥ6-6670 was the first of three X-15s built for the U.S. Scott Crossfield prepares for a flight in the North American Aviation X-15A.Ĩ June 1959: At Edwards Air Force Base, California, North American Aviation’s Chief Engineering Test Pilot, A. Above and behind the X-15 is the Douglas D558-II Skyrocket that Scott Crossfield flew to Mach 2.005, 20 November 1953. The first North American Aviation, Inc., X-15A, 56-6670, at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. “Bill” Dana made the final X-15 flight on 24 October 1968. Scott Crossfield, North American’s Chief Engineering Test Pilot, made the first unpowered flight 8 June 1959 and the first powered flight, 17 September 1959. It made a total of 82 of the 199 X-15 flights.
The first of three X-15A hypersonic research rocketplanes built by North American for the Air Force and the National Advisory Committee (NACA, the predecessor of NASA), 56-6670 made the first glide flight and the first and last powered flights of the X-15 Program. (Smithsonian Institution Archives SI-A-4145-23-A) The wings and sections of the dorsal and ventral fins have been removed. The North American Aviation, Inc., X-15A-1, 56-6670, being brought into the Arts and Industries building, June 1969.
#CHARLES BY CHARLES DAVID JETTISON OVER THE KNEE BOOT SERIAL NUMBER#
Air Force donated the first North American Aviation X-15, serial number 56-6670, to the Smithsonian Institution for display at the National Air and Space Museum. (Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)ġ0 June 1969: The U.S. North American Aviation, Inc., X-15A-1 56-6670 hypersonic research rocketplane on display at the National Air and Space Museum.