Oleg Zabluda's blog
Monday, November 26, 2012
 
In his book "At the Edge of Space: The X-15 Flight Program" Milton O.
In his book "At the Edge of Space: The X-15 Flight Program" Milton O. Thompson describes how after Neil Armstrong landed on a dry lake bed on flight #26, the flight director asked the chase plane pilot if X-15 had enough clearance from the Joshua Trees at the edge of the lake.
- Oh, he had plenty. At least 30 ft on either side.

http://books.google.com/books?id=2TvXGwAACAAJ

Another desciption of that flight:
http://www.air-and-space.com/x-15%20forty%20years%20later%20200204.htm

Reading the book was just mind-boggling. How it was impossible to keep the airplane below Mach 3. It was going Mach 3.5 at minimum thrust with speedbrake on. How the acceleration was increasing from 2.0g to 4.0g for 87 seconds throughout the flight. How a momentary distraction caused some pilots to miss their landing, instead flying over the runway at 90,000 ft and Mach 3.0. How they had to actually fly the reentry at 7g for 30 sec. Signs in the cockpit "Do not deploy landing gear above Mach 4.  Etc.
http://books.google.com/books?id=2TvXGwAACAAJ

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