JETs Vol. 26-11: NASA QSRA

**For release day only (27 March) buy any 3 QSRA items and get a free TRAP (keychain) cut from the QSRA included in your order. Buy any 4 QSRA items or 5 total items today and get a second bonus TRAP from our inventory.**

It has been a long time coming, but the NASA QSRA (Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft) has arrived. 

NASA auctioned off the QSRA in late 2024, and we were lucky enough to be the high bidder. Our original plans for the airframe (technically referred to by NASA as a flight facility) were to keep it intact, but NASA’s timeline and the extremely short list of folks willing to take on the dismantling job didn’t allow for it be kept whole. We saved as much of the good stuff as we could, and the entire forward fuselage, engines, vertical stab, etc. are all here. This JETs release was cut from extra material we saved during the teardown process.

The QSRA was an experimental transport aircraft developed in the 1970s to explore technologies for extremely short takeoff and landing (STOL) operations. The aircraft was created through a collaboration between NASA and Boeing, using a heavily modified De Havilland C-8 Buffalo as a base airframe. The QSRA featured four YF-102 turbofan engines mounted above the wing to blow high-velocity exhaust over large flaps - a USB (upper surface blowing) system that allowed the aircraft to take off and land in distances unheard of for large jet powered aircraft and produce significantly lower noise levels than conventional transports. Operated primarily from NASA’s Ames Research Center through the early 1980s, the QSRA conducted extensive flight tests evaluating advanced flight control systems, steep approach profiles, and quiet STOL procedures. A joint Navy/NASA flight research program also used the QSRA to investigate the application of advanced propulsive-lift technology for shipboard operations. Over a 4-day underway the aircraft performed numerous full-stop landings and takeoffs without the use of arresting gear or catapults.

JETs Vol. 26-11 is chocked full of eye candy with a whopping 12 variants, including our thickest solid tag ever released, two full color printed glass tags, a NASA Worm logo tag, ,and a slew of other variants. In my opinion, not only is this our best release to date, but given our history with the airframe and its rich history, it is also my favorite. Having the aircraft on site to draw inspiration from when designing the art was icing on the cake.

Variant notes:

The Sky Blue / White tags feature original C-8 Buffalo paint prior to its conversion to the QSRA. 

The NASA Worm logo tags are cut from the NASA Worm logo on the rudder. 

The Wing Box tags are .5-.6" thick and were cut from the wing box. They feature an etching of the original QSRA logo on the side. ALL feature red stenciling. They come with both cards. 

The Window Glass combos is a 2 JET combo that comes with a window glass tag featuring the Boeing Brochure art and one featuring the James Martin art. These are not sold separately. 

The QSRA tags were cut from the QSRA stencil located on one of the outboard engine nacelles. 

Each tag is paired with either a card featuring the original Boeing QSRA brochure art or a James Martin original illustration. The product pics show which card comes with that variant. 

A Vortex Generator is available that is not a part of the 300 JET run. These come laser etched with the QSRA logo. Only 18 were made. 

Sets:

Phoenix Set: NASA Worm Logo + Glass combo (2 tags) + QSRA + Vortex Generator. 2 TRAPS are also included on release day only for the Phoenix Set.