Quote from: rdale on 06/05/2009 04:23 pmQuote from: Ronsmytheiii on 06/05/2009 03:27 pmQuote from: rdale on 06/05/2009 02:19 pmSCA headed back home... http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA911Well, its first stop is Ellington Field right now, but the eventual destination is probably EdwardsRight - they can't make that flight nonstop.I was going to ask about that. Presumably, the SCA can fly much higher and faster without the beast on its back, or do the various modifications to the plane mean that it still has to operate under tighter constraints than a normal 747?
Quote from: Ronsmytheiii on 06/05/2009 03:27 pmQuote from: rdale on 06/05/2009 02:19 pmSCA headed back home... http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA911Well, its first stop is Ellington Field right now, but the eventual destination is probably EdwardsRight - they can't make that flight nonstop.
Quote from: rdale on 06/05/2009 02:19 pmSCA headed back home... http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA911Well, its first stop is Ellington Field right now, but the eventual destination is probably Edwards
SCA headed back home... http://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA911
NASA Dryden Fact Sheet indicates that they could.http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.htmlWith Orbiter: Range = 1000 nautical miles; Ceiling = 13 - 15,000 feetWithout Orbiter: Range = 5500 nautical miles; Ceiling = 24 - 26,000 feetSo they must have had reasons other than flight performance to make a stop at Ellington on their way back to Edwards.
With a bit of planning and luck, I managed to overfly the DFRC Saturday morning and managed to get some shots of the tailcone installation work. Know anyone down there?
You've GOT to read this!http://infinite-frontier.blogspot.com/2009/06/nasa-747-pilot-shares-experience.html
Doesn't seem strange - seems like you read this line:"My mind could not get over, from this point on, that this was something I had never experienced."If he never experienced it before, it likely was his first time!
Quote from: rdale on 06/12/2009 05:27 pmDoesn't seem strange - seems like you read this line:"My mind could not get over, from this point on, that this was something I had never experienced."If he never experienced it before, it likely was his first time!That is exactly what I mean. Doesn't it sound strange that they would have someone fly a SCA with the shuttle on it without any previous flight knowledge. I would at least think he would have had to be a copilot on a few flights before he flew it.