posted 03-23-2020 10:07 AM
For sale is a one-of-a-kind and historic aerospace item: a solid metal lifting body wind tunnel test model. The model is 8 inches long with a wingspan of 4.5 inches, and weighs a hefty 5 pounds (2.26kg). I’m used to seeing modern wind tunnel models in a polished stainless steel form, but this one is covered in a glossy, hard white enamel with no disruptive surface features except the rear support attach point (a slot deep into the body and two screw holes). The paint job is nearly perfect, with slight wear on the trailing edge of the wing tips and fuselage. This can be easily repaired, but I think the vintage and used nature of the model would be better presented as-is. The metal is non-magnetic, so probably aluminum or aluminum-alloy.
I don’t have any additional background on the model, but it looks like a version of the USAF/NASA X-24A lifting body developed by Martin Marietta during the 1960s, with the central stabilizer molded into a solid wedge on the model. This wedge may have been an early X-24A design, or the model may have been used for high angle of attack tests where the actual central stabilizer did not play a significant role. (Not my field; I’m guessing here.) The NASA lifting body program provided critical design data for the space shuttle, and is alive and well today in the form of the Sierra Nevada Dreamchaser spacecraft.
I will pack this very securely, but I don’t think the post office can hurt this piece. It is very heavy for its small size, hence the elevated postage based on the USPS online calculator. If the actual postage cost is significantly less, I will refund the difference to you after mailing. If the postage turns out to be a little more, I’ll absorb that cost.
Thanks and fly safe!
PRICE: $280.00 + $19.40 shipping ($49.75 foreign postage; $83.40 for Australia). PayPal required. [SOLD - thanks!]