Rushworth

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Rushworth

Robert Aitken Rushworth Status: Inactive. Trained as: Test Pilot. Profession: Pilot. Sex: Male. Marital Status: Married. Children: One. Birth Date: 09 October 1924. Birth City: Madison. Birth State: Maine. Birth Country: USA. Nationality: American. Group: Test Pilot (USAF). Date Selected: 01 January 1958. Departed: 1966. Number of Flights: 1. Total Time: 0.01 days.

Born in Madison, Maine; married with one child. Joined Army Air Corps, flying transports in World War II and combat missions in the Korean War. Studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, receiving a BE in 1951. BS in eronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1958. Selected as X-15 pilot in 1958, he made the most number of X-15 flights (34) and obtained astronaut wings on an 86.9 km flight. Left the X-15 program in 1966 to become Commander, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB; Commander, Air Force Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland AFB; Vice Commander, AF Systems Command, Wright Patterson AFB.

Flight Log

X-15 Flight 25 - - 1960 Nov 4 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 2071 kph. Maximum Altitude - 14905 m.
X-15 Flight 27 - - 1960 Nov 17 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 2018 kph. Maximum Altitude - 16688 m. Lower XLR-11 shutdown but restarted.
X-15 Flight 42 - - 1961 Oct 4 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Flight made with lower ventral off. Maximum Speed - 4553 kph. Maximum Altitude - 23770 m.
X-15 Flight 53 - - 1962 May 8 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5670 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21460 m.
X-15 Flight 54 - - 1962 May 22 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5551 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30600 m. Roller coaster flight with 3 peaks for local airflow investigation.
X-15 Flight 66 - - 1962 Aug 8 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 4735 kph. Maximum Altitude - 27700 m.
X-15 Flight 68 - - 1962 Aug 20 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5686 kph. Maximum Altitude - 27000 m.
X-15 Flight 69 - - 1962 Aug 29 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5546 kph. Maximum Altitude - 29630 m.
X-15 Flight 71 - - 1962 Oct 4 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5620 kph. Maximum Altitude - 34200 m.
X-15 Flight 73 - - 1962 Oct 23 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6056 kph. Maximum Altitude - 41000 m.
X-15 Flight 78 - - 1963 Apr 11 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 4608 kph. Maximum Altitude - 22680 m. First flight in scientific and advanced research series - carried aerial mapping camera.
X-15 Flight 82 - - 1963 May 14 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5792 kph. Maximum Altitude - 29140 m.
X-15 Flight 85 - - 1963 Jun 18 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5694 kph. Maximum Altitude - 68180 m.
X-15 Flight 87 - - 1963 Jun 27 - Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight Time: 0.01 days. Flight details: X-15 Flight 87.
Maximum Speed - 5511 kph. Maximum Altitude - 86870 m. Third astronaut wings flight (USAF definition).
X-15 Flight 89 - - 1963 Jul 18 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6315 kph. Maximum Altitude - 31940 m.
X-15 Flight 94 - - 1963 Nov 7 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 4706 kph. Maximum Altitude - 25080 m. First flight with sharp-edged vertical stabilizer.
X-15 Flight 97 - - 1963 Dec 5 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6465 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30785 m. Camera test in combination with U-2 flight.
X-15 Flight 100 - - 1964 Jan 28 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5821 kph. Maximum Altitude - 32736 m. First test of hypersonic speed brakes.
X-15 Flight 103 - - 1964 Mar 27 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6158 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30937 m. Secret reconn camera test.
X-15 Flight 105 - - 1964 Apr 29 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6285 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30968 m.
X-15 Flight 109 - - 1964 Jun 25 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 4994 kph. Maximum Altitude - 25390 m. First flight of X-15 No. 2 in X-15A-2 configuration, but without drop tanks.
X-15 Flight 114 - - 1964 Aug 14 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5776 kph. Maximum Altitude - 31486 m. Nose landing gear extended at Mach 4.5. Both tires blew on landing.
X-15 Flight 118 - - 1964 Sep 29 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5699 kph. Maximum Altitude - 29809 m.
X-15 Flight 124 - - 1964 Dec 22 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5781 kph. Maximum Altitude - 24750 m.
X-15 Flight 127 - - 1965 Feb 17 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5649 kph. Maximum Altitude - 28986 m. Right main landing gear extended at Mach 4.1; normal landing.
X-15 Flight 129 - - 1965 Mar 26 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5760 kph. Maximum Altitude - 31059 m.
X-15 Flight 140 - - 1965 Jul 20 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 6050 kph. Maximum Altitude - 32126 m.
X-15 Flight 141 - - 1965 Aug 3 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5796 kph. Maximum Altitude - 63612 m.
X-15 Flight 145 - - 1965 Aug 26 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5426 kph. Maximum Altitude - 73030 m.
X-15 Flight 147 - - 1965 Sep 9 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5686 kph. Maximum Altitude - 29627 m.
X-15 Flight 149 - - 1965 Sep 22 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5712 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30571 m.
X-15 Flight 155 - - 1965 Nov 3 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
First flight with empty external tanks. Ammonia tank recovered; Lox tank destroyed. Maximum Speed - 2414 kph. Maximum Altitude - 21520 m.
X-15 Flight 158 - - 1966 May 18 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
Maximum Speed - 5936 kph. Maximum Altitude - 30170 m.
X-15 Flight 159 - - 1966 Jul 1 - Assignment: Prime Crew.
First flight with fueled external tanks. Engine shutdown at 34.6 seconds due to fuel flow anomalies. Maximum Speed - 1646 kph. Maximum Altitude - 13720 m.

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Last update 3 May 2001.
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