posted 01-22-2025 01:29 PM               

For the X-15 there were 199 flights plus several captive and glide flights.

Was wondering if anyone out there is trying to obtain X-15 pilots on as many day of flight covers as possible?

With approximately 10 to 15 flights that covers were not created for, and the unfortunate flight on which Mike Adams was killed, that leaves about 190 flights that would be possible to obtain autographs on.

posted 01-23-2025 03:48 PM               

But unlike many others, I concentrated on trying to obtain only one good flight cover signed by each of the 12 X-15 pilots - that's hard enough. I succeeded after finally finding a for-sure authentic Jack McKay, and decided to go with an index card superbly signed/inscribed by Mike Adams. I proclaimed victory and moved on.

It's hard enough to strive for near completion of "just" unsigned flight covers for the 190 plus/minus flights possible, but to venture into pilot signed covers is quite a different story. But seven to eight of the 12 X-15 pilots were very good about signing even many years after the X-15 program ended, but signed covers of four others would be a big problem.

Certainly, Armstrong signed X-15 flight covers are hard to find and expensive. Mike Adams' covers are very hard to find and certainly forgeries would be a hazard (Steve Zarelli just discovered an Adams forgery sent to RR Auction). Jack McKay wasn't an overly prolific signer and his and Joe Walker forgeries are a concern, with a Walker example shown below.

Combined, Armstrong, Adams, McKay and Walker flew the X-15 69 times (including Adams' fatal flight), so at least 68 pilot-signed flight covers would be a challenge to find/afford - about a third of the total.

posted 01-23-2025 08:09 PM               

So I've got one signed flight cover for each of the "hard-to-get" guys - Walker, McKay, Armstrong, and Adams. And multiples of the "easier" guys - Crossfield, White, Peterson, Rushworth, Engle, Thompson, Dana, and Knight. The latter group was still alive and happy to sign when I started collecting in the early '80's, so I got most of those through the mail and some in-person.

posted 01-23-2025 09:04 PM               

As of this census, I have free flight covers for 172/199, I'm only at five total signed one for each Crossfield, White, Rushworth, Engle, and Knight.

On a related X-15 topic, there are 12 flights I haven't personally seen a cover for, I'll list them below, wondering if others have a similar count... since micropooz is missing 14 (185/199) for a full set, makes me think 12 might be close to the number of flights without a cover seen, thoughts?

Unofficial list of flights without a cover seen based on my research:

• 8-Jun-59
  
• 19-Apr-62
  
• 8-May-62
  
• 13-Mar-64
  
• 14-Aug-64
  
• 28-May-65
  
• 2-Sep-65
  
• 14-Sep-65
  
• 4-Nov-65
  
• 29-Nov-66
  
• 26-Apr-67
  
• 15-Jun-67

posted 01-23-2025 10:41 PM               

Jeff - that was going to be my next question. I have 181/199 and missing four of the captive flights.

Years ago I did a survey of the five or six X-15 flight collectors (including Poozer) that I knew and came up with a list of nine flights that no one had a cover from. Unfortunately the individual data is long gone so I don't know who reported having which covers.

Merging the lists...

• 6/8/59 - someone had
  
• 2/17/60 - no one at that time had, but Jeff has exists
  
• 3/29/60 - no one at that time had, but Jeff has exists
  
• 5/26/60 - no one at that time had, but Jeff has exists
  
• 4/19/62 - no one has, including Jeff's research
  
• 4/20/62 - no one at that time had, but Jeff has exists
  
• 5/8/62 - I have a flight cover
  
• 3/13/64 - someone had
  
• 8/14/64 - someone had
  
• 5/28/65 - someone had
  
• 9/2/65 - someone had
  
• 9/14/65 - no one has, including Jeff's research
  
• 11/4/65 - someone had
  
• 11/29/66 - no one has, including Jeff's research
  
• 4/26/67 - no one has, including Jeff's research
  
• 6/15/67 - no one has, including Jeff's research

posted 01-24-2025 12:57 AM               

• 4/19/62 - no one has
  
• 9/14/65 - no one has
  
• 11/29/66 - no one has
  
• 4/26/67 - no one has
  
• 6/15/67 - no one has

posted 01-24-2025 05:28 AM               

Are all the powered flight covers postmarked at Edwards AFB? And was that because Edwards was the take-off point for the X-15 flights?

Did the 'mother aircraft' always drop the X-15s over the same spot? And was that spot close to the Edwards' runway?

Were any post offices closer than Edwards AFB to the actual drop point? And do any covers exist postmarked from post offices closer to the drop point than Edwards AFB?

posted 01-24-2025 05:20 PM               

The X-15 flights took off from Edwards AFB and had multiple drop points over dry lake beds such as Hidden Hills Dry Lake (Hidden Hills Lake Test Annex), Delamar Dry Lake, and Rosamond Dry Lake, All flights landed on Rogers Dry Lake, which is entirely within Edwards AFB, unless an emergency occurred like the premature engine shutdown on McKay flight 1-63-104 on May 6, 1966 which landed at Delamar Dry Lake. All of the lakes were associated with Edwards AFB and/or Dryden Flight Research Center in some way for emergency landings.

Remember that the X-15 program did not announce information on the details of the flights in advance. Thus, collectors mainly relied on servicers to process the covers for the flights - the Boy Scout service was the main one for most of the X-15 program though several others did at various times as well. Goldey and Zaso was really the only cover dealers to create X-15 covers.

On May 21, 1962, Neil Armstrong was involved in what Edwards AFB' folklore calls the "Nellis Affair."

He was sent in a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter to inspect Delamar Dry Lake in southern Nevada, for emergency landings. He misjudged his altitude, and also did not realize that the landing gear had not fully extended. As he touched down, the landing gear began to retract; Armstrong applied full power to abort the landing, but the ventral fin and landing gear door struck the ground, damaging the radio and releasing hydraulic fluid.

Without radio communication, Armstrong flew south to Nellis Air Force Base, past the control tower, and waggled his wings, the signal for a no-radio approach. The loss of hydraulic fluid caused the tail-hook to release, and upon landing, he caught the arresting wire attached to an anchor chain, and dragged the chain along the runway.

It took thirty minutes to clear the runway and rig an arresting cable and Armstrong telephoned Edwards AFB and asked for someone to retrieve him. Milt Thompson was sent in an F-104B, the only two-seater available, but a plane Thompson had never flown. With great difficulty, Thompson made it to Nellis, but a strong crosswind caused a hard landing and the left main tire suffered a blowout.

The runway was again closed to clear it, and Bill Dana was sent to Nellis AFB in a T-33 Shooting Star, but he almost landed long — and the Nellis base operations office decided that to avoid any further problems, it would be best to find the three NASA pilots ground transport back to Edwards AFB.

posted 01-24-2025 05:34 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Axman:
Are all the powered flight covers postmarked at Edwards AFB? And was that because Edwards was the take-off point for the X-15 flights?

---

quote:

---

Did the 'mother aircraft' always drop the X-15s over the same spot? And was that spot close to the Edwards' runway?

---

quote:

---

Were any post offices closer than Edwards AFB to the actual drop point? And do any covers exist postmarked from post offices closer to the drop point than Edwards AFB?

---

quote:

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And finally, did any of the X-15 flights land/terminate anywhere other than at Edwards AFB, and therefore are there any 'recovery' covers from that spot

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posted 01-24-2025 06:43 PM               

What about the same for a set of all 12 pilot signed individual photos of them or even all on a single item (cover, photo, etc.)?

posted 01-25-2025 01:25 PM               

And for Ken's "All The X-15 Pilots on One Photo Challenge", I don't have all twelve, but let me start the bidding at nine (plus three motherplane pilots):

posted 01-26-2025 10:12 AM               

I would greatly recommend two books on the X-15. One is the classic book by Jay Miller "The X-Planes/X-1 to the X-31" and Milt Thompson's superb book, "To the edge of Space/The X-15 Flight Program".

I'm sure that several of us here have one or both of these two great books.

Thompson's book gives an X-15 pilot's knowledge and experience in the program, including information on each of the flights and each pilot. And Miller's book provides just about anything you'd want to know about any of the X-planes, including the X-1, X-2, X-15, X-24A and X-24B. Miller's book, especially, presents many excellent photos of all the planes.

posted 01-26-2025 12:44 PM               

1. "The X-15 Rocket Plane" by Michelle Evans, 2013, University of Nebraska pub. More great pilot stories!

2. "X-15 Extending the Frontiers of Flight" by Dennis Jenkins, 2007, NASA SP 2007-562. 681 pages of every X-15 detail that one could ever wish for...

posted 01-27-2025 04:27 AM               

Its a most fascinating programme!

posted 01-27-2025 09:18 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Michael Wright:
I can manage nine...

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I further presume that you gathered nine signatures, and failed to get the other three, and that because they were now deceased, and therefore not available to sign, you then typed in their names? Is that correct?

posted 01-27-2025 10:14 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Michael Wright:
I can manage nine...

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Here's an X-15 in flight photo signed by seven pilots that I got in 1996 from the very active collector Richard Stonely. He worked in high quantity, so I'd think that these well-done X-15 signed photos are not overly scarce and may still can be found.

posted 01-27-2025 11:31 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Axman:
...then sent it out or took it personally to one of the twelve at a time?

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posted 01-29-2025 07:35 AM               

Here is an X-15 model signed by Mike Adams, Bill Dana, Pete Knight, John McKay, and Milt Thompson.

And here is a slightly different model signed by Bill Dana, Joe Engle, John McKay, Robert Rushworth, Milt Thompson, and Joe Walker.

I got them both at a Heritage auction last year, for what I believe were surprisingly low prices. I remember about 6 to 7 years ago a similar model, also signed by Mike Adams and others, was at auction in Seattle and I bid on it, but it went for several thousand.

I think perhaps bidders were put off by the missing stabilizer wings. (That's what I'll be posting in Models about - if it would be possible to replace them somehow. I'm also curious about the different tail numbers - are they both contractor models?)

posted 01-29-2025 12:13 PM               

In using a silver or gold metallic pen when signing the model, of course, the signers usually autograph much slowly and the signatures do somewhat resemble their characteristics. But I don't even recall such pens being used in 1967 for signing models, but here again, I could be dead wrong and I could never tell of when the X-15 model was made.