1958 Cardmaster : Jet Aircraft of the World

The Cardmaster Jet Aircraft of the World collection was issued in 1958 by The Master Vending Machine Co. Ltd. of London. The 100-card collection features contemporary warplanes and experimental aircraft from around the world. The cards were distributed in Germany as Düsenflugzeuge der Welt by WATO Waren-Verkaufs-Automaten G.M.B.H. Each card measures approximately 2.64 x 3.74 inches (67 x 95 mm). A 20-page collector album was sold separately by mail order.

The Jet Aircraft of the World series includes a concept illustration of the North American X-15 hypersonic research vehicle. NASA developed three of the experimental aircraft to investigate problems that pilots would encounter near the edge of space. The early depiction lacks the distinctive black color of the Inconel X-750 alloy. The rebuilt X-15A-2 was covered with a white ablative coating for the first test flight.

The X-15-1 was first piloted in an unpowered glide by Scott Crossfield on June 8, 1959. Crossfield flew the X-15-2 during the first powered flight of the X-15 program on September 17, 1959.

The X-15-3 was first flown above the Kármán line by Joseph A. Walker during Flight 90 on July 19, 1963. The highest altitude achieved by the X-15-3 was 67 miles (108 km) during Flight 91 on August 22, 1963. Walker was posthumously awarded the United States Astronaut Badge on August 23, 2005.

The X-15-1 is displayed in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The X-15A-2 is displayed in the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.