The first landing of the X-15 airplane was made at 8:43 a.m., June 8, 1959, on the hard surface of Rogers Dry Lake. One purpose of the first-glide flight was to evaluate the effectiveness of the landing-gear system. Some results are presented of the landing-approach characteristics, the impact period, and the runout phase of the landing maneuver. Permanent structural deformation occurred in the main-landing-gear system as a result of the landing, and a reevaluation of the gear is being made by the manufacturer. The extreme rearward location of the main-gear skids appears to offer satisfactory directional stability characteristics during the run- out phase of the landing. No evidence of nosewheel shimmy was indicated during the impact and runout phase of the landing despite the absence of a shimmy damper on the nose gear. The maximum amount of skid wear as a result of the landing was on the order of 0.005 inch. No appreciable amount of tire wear was indicated for the dual, corotating nosewheels.
Measurements Obtained During the First Landing of the North American X-15 Research Airplane
1959
38 pages
Report
No indication
English
First Landing of Bell X-2 Research Airplane
NTRS | 1952
|First landing of bell x-2 research airplane
NTRS | 1952
|