I second your opinion. An astonishing aircraft, but the basic concept is flawed / unuseful. But I'm quite sure such aircraft can find other uses. Imagine a giant passenger pod with large panoramic windows. Or some big cargo pod.
The thing looks like the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" times two. The "Spruce Deuce" might be a good nickname.
Quote from: Antilope7724 on 06/20/2016 01:55 pmThe thing looks like the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" times two. The "Spruce Deuce" might be a good nickname. Deuce Goose is better
Space Goose
Quote from: Jim on 09/22/2017 06:01 pmQuote from: Antilope7724 on 06/20/2016 01:55 pmThe thing looks like the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose" times two. The "Spruce Deuce" might be a good nickname. Deuce Goose is betterSpace Goose
Quote from: Archibald on 09/21/2017 06:28 pmI second your opinion. An astonishing aircraft, but the basic concept is flawed / unuseful. But I'm quite sure such aircraft can find other uses. Imagine a giant passenger pod with large panoramic windows. Or some big cargo pod. It won't work as a passenger anything, too expensive and dangerous. It probably can find work stealing jobs from An-225, but if you were building a new cargo plane from scratch, you would not use the same configuration.
Reportedly preparing for taxi tests! https://www.instagram.com/p/BbqWYdYA8Zj/?taken-by=atcpilot_photography
Stratolaunch turned onto the Mojave Air and Space Port runway center line yesterday and successfully conducted its first taxi test. More to share soon!
Quote from: vaporcobra on 11/19/2017 06:13 pmReportedly preparing for taxi tests! https://www.instagram.com/p/BbqWYdYA8Zj/?taken-by=atcpilot_photographyAnd further news on what it will carry?
Video of taxi test:Quote from: Paul AllenStratolaunch turned onto the Mojave Air and Space Port runway center line yesterday and successfully conducted its first taxi test. More to share soon!https://twitter.com/PaulGAllen/status/942574809086509056
Scaled Composites Taxis World’s Largest AircraftStratolaunch Aircraft Moves Under Its Own PowerMOJAVE, CA, December 16, 2017:This past weekend, the Scaled test team successfully executed a low speed taxi test of the Stratolaunch aircraft. During this initial taxi test, the aircraft moved down the runway under its own power for the first time. These first test points have demonstrated the fundamental ability to control the aircraft speed and direction on the runway.What is it like to move the world’s largest aircraft? Joe Sweat, Project Pilot, commented, “It was a lot less intimidating once we had it out there, in terms of how much runway we take up. From a visual standpoint, we had a lot more room than I was anticipating. Getting the airplane moving under its own power was really interesting – just seeing and feeling how the nose wheel steering reacts and how the brakes respond to the inputs.[We have been working with Stratolaunch for the past five years designing, building, and testing the world’s largest aircraft. Paul Allen’s mission for Stratolaunch is developing an air launch platform to make access to space more convenient, reliable, and routine.“Later taxi testing will include faster speeds and more challenging steering and braking tasks, all in preparation for first flight. It was exciting to see this magnificent machine on the runway for the first time!” said Brandon Wood, Test Conductor.
Captured new video of @Stratolaunch plane as it reached a top taxi speed of 40 knots (46 mph) with all flight surfaces in place on Sunday. The team verified control responses, building on the first taxi tests conducted in December.