On this day in aviation history, 60 years ago (November 3, 1965), a modified variant of the North American X-15 – the X-15A-2 – took its first flight. Major Robert Rushworth was at the controls of the newest X-15 model for the test mission, which took place at Edwards Air Force Base, California. X-15A-2 s/n 56-6671 was the aircraft flown on this day, and it was carried up to altitude by an NB-52A Stratofortress s/n 52-003 – named The High and Mighty One.
Major Rushworth and the X-15A-2 were dropped over Cuddeback Lake, which is roughly 40 miles to the northeast of Edwards AFB. At 9:09 a.m., Rushworth engaged the X-15’s Reaction Motors XLR99-RM-1 rocket engine and was pushed through the air by 57,000 pounds of thrust. 84.1 seconds of burn was all that the X-15’s fuel supply could accommodate. Within this time, the X-15A-2 climbed to an altitude of 70,600 feet and attained a maximum speed of Mach 2.31 – 1,514 miles per hour. After 5 minutes and 1 second of flight, Rushworth and the X-15A-2 made a successful landing on Rogers Dry Lake.
The initial flight of the North American X-15A-2 was a success. The aircraft’s external fuel tanks were properly jettisoned, falling away without damaging the airframe. The parachute that was attached to the liquid oxygen tank failed to deploy and was damaged beyond reasonable repair. X-15A-2 56-6671 was rebuilt into its modified form after the aircraft initially suffered a landing incident. The X-15’s creator, North American Aviation, handled the rebuild. They took advantage of the opportunity to upgrade the X-15 by lengthening the fuselage and external fuel tanks, adding a longer nose-wheel strut, and swapping out the windshields for those of an oval shape. X-15A-2 56-6671 survives today, and is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base – near Dayton, Ohio.
