Aircraft
Three versions of the X-15A-2 aircraft (s/n AF56-6671) with the XLR-99 rocket engine and 'jettisonable' external propellant tanks:
- 'Rollout' version (black) with silver external propellant tanks and the X-15A-2 light blue-grey instrument panel
- 'Dirty' version (black) with red and white external propellant tanks and the X-15A-2 light blue-grey instrument panel
- 'White' version with full ablative coating, a modified lower vertical stabilizer, a dummy ramjet, an animated eyelid on the left canopy window and the X-15A-2 light blue-grey instrument panel.
The additional fuselage section provides an optical window and additional space for experimental and instrumentation equipment (in the 'Rollout' and 'Dirty' versions). Other changes common to all aircraft include a removable right wing tip, an extended landing gear, a revised canopy with new elliptical windows, a sky hatch on top of the instrument compartment, extended side fairings to carry more hydrogen peroxide stored in spherical supply tanks and a spherical helium tank behind the dorsal stabilizer. The white version of the X-15A-2 is covered with a special pink ablator sealed with a white wear layer to protect the airplane from the tremendous amount of heat generated during high-speed flight. This variation also features a jettisonable dummy ramjet under the lower modified ventral and an animated eyelid over the left canopy window.
Cockpit features
The X-15A-2 comes with one (light blue-grey) main instrument panel and eight secondary panels:
- Main panel
- Service panel
- "Vent, pressurise, jettison" lever panel
- Throttle and speed brake lever panel
- Left side panel
- Right side panel
- Radio panel
- Centre pedestal panel
- External drop tanks control panel
In addition, the default Flight Simulator Garmin GPS and magnetic compass panels are available from the main panel.
Advanced instrument panels (for the XLR-99 rocket engine)
The fully functional instrument panels with custom gauges and systems simulate almost every step and procedure required in a typical X-15 or X-15A-2 mission:
- Custom fuel management system with three different types of propellants (ammonia, liquid oxygen and hydrogen peroxide) and pressurized helium
- APUs/generators/hydraulic pump operation
- Propellant tank pressurization
- Engine precool and prime
- Turbopump operation
- Rocket ignition sequence
- Monitoring of propellant pressure gauges
- External propellant tanks release
- Propellant jettison
Almost every X-15 internal system has been integrated into the X-15 panels:
- Engine ignition system
- APUs and electrical power distribution systems
- Hydraulic systems
- Temperature control systems
Flight model
- One Reaction Motors XLR-99, 'throttlable' 60,000-pound liquid-fuel turbo-rocket engine
- Supersonic flight up to Mach 4.65 in FS2004 and FSX
- High-altitude flight up to 354,200 feet in FSX (100,000 feet in FS2004)
- Ground take-off or high-altitude launch
- Good manoeuvrability at supersonic speeds
- Excellent gliding capabilities
Aircraft 3D model features
- Highly detailed models based on archive material, with more than 60 animations
- Reflective textures
- Unique markings and liveries on each aircraft
- Dynamic frost texture on fuselage (around the liquid oxygen tank when filled)
- Animated control surfaces - differential horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizers with movable and fixed sections and a jettisonable ventral rudder, flaps, extendable upper and lower split-flap speed brakes
- Landing skids and 'steerable' front gear
- Movable canopy
- Cockpit details with astronaut/pilot and animated sticks and levers
- 'Jettisonable' external propellant tanks (optional)
- Jettisonable dummy ramjet (on the white aircraft)
- Animated eyelid on the left canopy window of the white aircraft
Special effects
- Over 10 X-15-specific animated visual effects
- Engine flame and contrail effects
- Engine first and/or second stage igniter effects
- Propellant jettison effects
- APU and turbopump exhaust effects
- Engine precool and prime effects
- Condensation effect near the cold propellant tanks when filled
Custom aircraft systems features
- Fictional X-15A-2 service panel system for external power and aircraft refueling (ammonia, liquid oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, helium, liquid nitrogen)
- Custom X-15 fuel management system for the three different types of propellants and gases
- Engine propellant pressurization and control system
- External tanks propellant transfer system
- Engine turbopump system
- Engine ignition control system
- Electrical distribution and control system with APUs, generators, emergency battery and an external power source
- Hydraulic systems
- Temperature control systems
Advanced 2D panel features
- Advanced X-15A-2 light blue-grey (2D) main instrument panel (XLR-99 engine)
- Service panel
- Left white console panel with "vent, pressurize, jettison" lever and flaps switch
- Throttle and speed brake panel
- Left side panel
- Right side panel
- Radio panel
- Centre pedestal
- External drop tanks control panel
- 180 fully functional custom integrated systems and gauges with 'tooltips'
- Kneeboard reference tab and checklist
Manual
- 100-page PDF English and French flight manual with step-by-step procedures