posted 01-29-2025 11:55 AM               

With the X-15, autographs of four of the 12 pilots are difficult/expensive to acquire. Of the 18 (19) X-1 pilots, autographs of at least seven are virtually unheard of in collections, and with flight covers limited.

But with the six lifting body aircraft, flight covers and pilot autographs are in good supply and can be found.

There were six lifting body aircraft: The M2-F1, M2-F2, M2-F3, HL-10, X-24A and X-24B. Fourteen different pilots flew at least one of the six lifting body aircraft (Gerry Gentry flew five of the six, with John Manke piloting four) and all generally were friendly and cooperative signers.

I was a new and extremely enthusiastic collector when the X-24B first flew in 1972 and was very active during the X-24B program, and also then and later concentrated on pilot autographs of the previous five lifting body aircraft.

Some of my results are shown here with covers for each of the six lifting bodies and each signed by all the pilots that flew each lifting body. The majority of the autographs had to be acquired one-at-a-time through many separate mailings, mostly to Edwards AFB, but to other locations, including Seattle, WA, Eglin AFB, FL, Nellis AFB, NV, Shaw AFB, SC, etc.

Seven pilots flew the M2-F1 (on untowed free flights); Four pilots flew the M2-F2; four pilots flew the M2-F3; five pilots flew the HL-10; three pilots flew the X-24A; and seven pilots flew the X-24B.

Shown here are complete pilot-autographed covers for the six lifting body aircraft, that includes a total of 30 autographs. Acquiring this set of autographed covers was a labor of love and is one of my favorite collections. It was accomplished with much help from 14 great American test pilots. This includes one who was the first to break the sound barrier; two who flew the X-15; one who died at Edwards four months after the end of the program; and one who died on Challenger.

These are two of the three M2 autographed flight covers, with the top cover marking the final flight in the M2 program and autographed by the seven M2-F1 pilots, including Milt Thompson, who made the first lifting body flight. The bottom M2 cover is autographed by the four M2-F2 pilots.

The top cover is autographed by the four M2-F3 pilots and the bottom HL-10 cover is autographed by the five HL-10 pilots. The HL-10 set lifting body records for altitude: 90,300 feet (Bill Dana), and speed, 1,230 mph/Mach 1.86 (Peter Hoag). They were no X-15's, but they held their own.

posted 01-31-2025 10:57 AM               

Shown here is a photo of the first two M2 lifting body aircraft — M2-F1 and M2-F2 — along with an M2-F3 cover autographed by all nine pilots who few at least one of the three M2 lifting bodies on free flights. Three other pilots flew the M2-F1 on tethered, ground towed flights: Fred Haise, Joe Engle and James Woods. Each with one ground tow.

Autographing the M2-F3 cover are: Chuck Yeager, Cecil Powel, Donald Sorlie, Jerry Gentry, Bill Dana, Milt Thompson, John Manke, Bruce Peterson and Don Mallick.

posted 01-31-2025 05:03 PM               

Obtaining such autographed covers was made relatively easy by the kind cooperation of all 14 lifting body pilots. Probably the lifting body flights were not covered too well by the news media and the pilots were happy to have even bothersome collectors showing interest in what they were doing. Even covers were graciously flown aboard most of the lifting bodies, as well as the mothership.

It was a great collecting topic for many at the time, but possibly not so much by present day collectors.

posted 01-31-2025 06:43 PM               

And here is my HL-10 signed (left to right: Gentry, Dana, Hoag, Manke, and Peterson).

I’ve also got a:

• M2-F3 photo signed by Powell, Manke, Gentry, and Dana
  
• X-24A signed by Powell, Gentry, and Manke and
  
• X-24B signed by Dana, Manke, Enevoldson, and McMurtry.

posted 01-31-2025 07:05 PM               

I think we both started collecting autographs of flight covers (also photos for me) throughout the 1970's. As you had depicted, it was a time from 1966 to 1976 when the M2/F3, HL-10, and X-24 series of rocket-powered flying machines were at full speed of research capabilities for our nation's continued aviation and aerospace advancements. In the end, those pioneering flights of a decade long paved the way for our own reusable Space Shuttle orbital flight program.

Most of mine, including a few carried/flown pilot covers of that research flying era, had always been a challenging labor of love. Most of mine are no longer with me today, however, I even recall some pilot covers flown on the B-52 Mothership drop Stratofortress (including by Dick Scobee when he was a test pilot at Edwards along with George Luck). Do those a ring a bell to you along with a few others?

posted 02-01-2025 01:26 PM               

The other cover is signed by George E. Luck B-52 Mothership Commander.

Dennis your M2F1 and HL-10 signed photos are outstanding.

posted 02-01-2025 02:49 PM               

As shown by Tim's covers, including his multi-signed cover, there was also excellent autograph cooperation from the program officials and the B-52 mothership pilots (Dick Scobee flew as both mothership pilot and also X-24B pilot).

Autographs were relatively easy to acquire from the lifting body pilots during that era, with many still at Edwards AFB and addresses available for others. Address lists of astronauts and test pilots were often found in issues of the Space Unit's The Astrophile and collectors often shared addresses with others ("Don't tell anyone else").

One address that was well-known and well-used was Chuck Yeager's. For a number of years he kindly signed collector's material, but later after seeing his free autographs for sale on the Internet, started charging high amounts to sign and then stopped. Here's his address that so many used: Gen. Chuck Yeager, PO Box 142, Cedar Ridge, CA 95924, but it's a little too late to use it now.

Also I used the USAF Forwarding Service a number of times to reach pilots and some astronauts. There was a small fee and, while not providing any addresses, they would forward collectors' requests.

It was a great time to be a space and test pilot autograph collector (as Ken indicated so well), with autograph cooperation high and results impressive, as displayed by a few of our impressive results here.

posted 02-01-2025 04:47 PM               

• Norm DeMar, operations engineer for the X-24B and prior lifting bodies.
  
• Charles Russell, crew chief for the X-24 B.
  
• Bill Clifton, Instrumentation technician for the X-24B and prior LB’s.
  
• Robert Hoey, flight planner for about all of the lifting bodies, including X-24B.
  
• Johnny Armstrong, project manager for the X24B.

posted 02-02-2025 04:12 PM               

As a result of my request and cover that went through Gen. Yeager's busy Post Office mail box in 1981, came this handsome signed lifting body cover, with Gen. Yeager inscribing him being an M2-F1 pilot.

Then signing a cover for the next to last X-24B flight is this X-24B signed cover by Dick Scobee for his 2nd X-24B flight (signed from JSC in 1981 after him becoming a member of NASA Astronaut Group 8).

Tim has shown above a wonderful X-24B cover autographed by several top officials in the X-24B Program, in addition to autographs of two of the X-24B pilots. Now these two covers shown, display autographs of five of the X-24B B-52 Mothership pilots: Tom Higgins, B.J. Hinds, Paul Skabo, Mike King and Dick Scobee.

The cover below, obtained from Ken Havekotte (we traded such covers to each other) was flown aboard the Mothership on the X-24B's 23rd free flight, and 48th time it was taken aloft by the Mothership, with the X-24B released at the usual 45,000 feet. Signing and attesting that this cover was flown were the two Mothership pilots: Paul Skabo and George Luck.

Ken used an airmail, barber poll, envelope which was a very typical type of cover used for flown cover requests.

Us collectors of the early days of space exploration and collecting had a distinct advantage of being able to acquire test pilot and astronaut autographs with little required other than having mailing addresses, stamps, stationary, envelopes, a mailbox and time, to assemble impressive collections. Many excellent collections were formed in this manner (at one time, probably 80-90% of my space autograph collection was formed in this way).

But other than that advantage, we had few other options to acquire needed material other than via dealers (iffy) and small auctions (also iffy).

posted 02-03-2025 08:04 AM               

The Chuck Yeager signed cover is a beauty. Nicely applied autograph and quote. Interesting Dick Scobee signed X-24B cover. I don't remember seeing very many Scobee signed X-24B covers with such a great quote below his autograph. Nice cover and of course the B-52 mothership pilots signed cover is a good one as there again you don't see many like yours.

posted 02-04-2025 03:51 PM               

But for anyone considering putting together a set of 36 pilot signed X-24B covers for all 36 free flights, there may be some difficulty. Mike Love, although a great signer during the program, tragically died only 4 months after the end of the program, so unlike the other 5 pilots, his signing ended before March 1, 1975. The other five pilots could be reached for autographs many years after the program ended.

So finding signed covers for Love's 12 flights could make completing a set of 36 pilot-signed X-24B covers difficult, as he flew 1/3 of the flights.

But as far as putting together a complete set of 36 unsigned free flight covers, that's very possible, as they exist in large numbers and were produced by several servicers: Baudwin, Rank, Boy Scouts, Dryden PAO.