The Aircraft of the World card series was issued in 1963 by Shell Oil New Zealand Limited. The 48-card collection features illustrations of contemporary military and commercial aircraft. Each card measures approximately 1.6 x 3 inches (41 x 76 mm).

The series includes the "North American X15 Hyper-Sonic Research Aircraft." NASA developed three of the experimental aircraft to investigate problems that pilots would encounter near the edge of space. The X-15-1 (56-6670) 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 NASA Astronaut Wings on August 23, 2005.

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