Virgin GlobalFlyer takes to the sky on March 5. Craft is being designed for around-the-world flight on one tank of gas and piloted by single person. Credit: Scaled Composites
During its maiden test flight, the Virgin GlobalFlyer evaluated descent and landing drag chutes. Credit: Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites Tests Around-the-World Plane By Leonard David Senior Space Writer posted: 12:20 pm ET 06 March 2004
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From the folks working hard on passenger space flight
comes a new single-piloted aircraft to circle the Earth on one tank of
gas.
Scaled Composites flew for the first time on March 5
the Virgin GlobalFlyer over the Mojave Desert in California. The maiden mission
kicks-off a series of test flights that should culminate in an attempt to
circumnavigate the globe with a single pilot, non-stop, and
non-refueled.
The company is also flight testing SpaceShipOne - a
candidate vehicle being test flown to snag the $10 million X Prize purse created
to stimulate passenger-carrying suborbital rocketry.
SpaceShipOne's last flight -- the eighth in a series
of shakeout trips - took place December 17 of last year. The vehicle used its
hybrid rocket motor on the first of a sequence of expected powered flights,
breaking the sound barrier in the process.
Excellent flying
qualities
The Virgin GlobalFlyer - also tagged as Scaled
Composites Model 311 -- was piloted by Project Engineer and Test Pilot Jon
Karkow. The test hop lasted one hour and thirty minutes.
After liftoff, the aircraft conducted stability tests
and other flight parameters. The craft's tricycle landing gear was retracted and
extended and the effectiveness of the airplane's descent and landing drag chutes
was evaluated.
Karkow reported that the airplane had "excellent
flying qualities", a Scaled Composites press released stated. All aircraft
systems operated well and the aircraft returned with no maintenance
squawks.
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