There is really some surreal feel on those photos and videos. As if it was still CGI, some kind of fake. Probably related to the size, and shape, of that peculiar bird. The twin fuselages and the straight, seemingly never-ending wing makes it completely unique looking. What an awesome bird, really. Even without a rocket, it is one hell of a flying machine.
Just got off a a very brief “media briefing” on Stratolaunch’s first flight today. Aircraft spend 2.5 hours in the air and performed very well, according to test pilot Evan Thomas.
But the company said nothing about future plans for the plane’s test program, and declined to take questions during the ten-minute call.
Stratolaunch plane makes first flightby Jeff Foust — April 13, 2019WASHINGTON — The giant aircraft built by Stratolaunch to serve as an air-launch platform made its first flight April 13 amid questions about the future of the venture.
Today the #Stratolaunch aircraft flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert, reaching a top speed of 189 mph. Check out the historic flight here: #StratoFirstFlight
What an incredible morning for the Stratolaunch team! Thank you to our partners at @ScaledC for their hard work. Learn more about today’s #StratoFirstFlight here:bit.ly/2VIv49d
Stratolaunch Completes Historic First Flight of AircraftApril 13, 2019 Press Release World’s largest aircraft takes to the sky for its test flight over Mojave DesertMOJAVE, CA – April 13, 2019 – Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, founded by Paul G. Allen, today successfully completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, the Stratolaunch. With a dual fuselage design and wingspan greater than the length of an American football field, the Stratolaunch aircraft took flight at 0658 PDT from the Mojave Air & Space Port. Achieving a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour, the plane flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. As part of the initial flight, the pilots evaluated aircraft performance and handling qualities before landing successfully back at the Mojave Air and Space Port.“What a fantastic first flight,” said Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch. “Today’s flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground launched systems. We are incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today’s flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman’s Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port.”The test team conducted standard aircraft testing exercises. Initial results from today’s test points include:Performed a variety of flight control maneuvers to calibrate speed and test flight control systems, including roll doublets, yawing maneuvers, pushovers and pull-ups, and steady heading side slips.Conducted simulated landing approach exercises at a max altitude of 15,000 feet mean sea level.The Stratolaunch aircraft is a mobile launch platform that will enable airline-style access to space that is convenient, affordable and routine. The reinforced center wing can support multiple launch vehicles, weighing up to a total of 500,000 pounds.“We all know Paul would have been proud to witness today’s historic achievement,” said Jody Allen, Chair of Vulcan Inc. and Trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust. “The aircraft is a remarkable engineering achievement and we congratulate everyone involved.”For more information, please visit www.stratolaunch.com/news-and-features for fact sheet, aerial images and video of first flight. Please also follow @Stratolaunch on Twitter for the latest updates.
Nice to see it flying at last. It is a bizarre looking machine but cool in its own way. But will ever fly again?
Got comments from Scaled too, so an article including quotes from the pilots. And we know the first two Pegasus rockets are in build up (L2).https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/04/roc-worlds-largest-plane-flight-stratolaunch-goals/Jack's photos, obviously and embedded one of Derrick's tweets.https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1117169303692959744
Quote from: Lars-J on 04/13/2019 07:52 pmNice to see it flying at last. It is a bizarre looking machine but cool in its own way. But will ever fly again?Why not?
Quote from: Rocket Science on 04/13/2019 11:57 pmQuote from: Lars-J on 04/13/2019 07:52 pmNice to see it flying at last. It is a bizarre looking machine but cool in its own way. But will ever fly again?Why not? You are familiar with recent Stratolaunch developments, I assume? Most employees were kid off, funding drastically cut back after Allen’s death. A plane with no obvious need. I’m just putting 1 and 1 together here to draw the semi-obvious conclusion, but I hope I am wrong.
Quote from: Lars-J on 04/14/2019 12:06 amQuote from: Rocket Science on 04/13/2019 11:57 pmQuote from: Lars-J on 04/13/2019 07:52 pmNice to see it flying at last. It is a bizarre looking machine but cool in its own way. But will ever fly again?Why not? You are familiar with recent Stratolaunch developments, I assume? Most employees were kid off, funding drastically cut back after Allen’s death. A plane with no obvious need. I’m just putting 1 and 1 together here to draw the semi-obvious conclusion, but I hope I am wrong.Still no reason they would't finish their flight test program...
