Rutan's GlobalFlyer passes first test

Valley Press ^ | March 6, 2004 | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

MOJAVE - Burt Rutan's latest record-attempting aircraft took its first steps toward the record books Friday with the inaugural test flight of the GlobalFlyer at Mojave Airport. Unveiled before international media in January, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is designed to take on what Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson calls the "last great aviation record on Earth" - a solo, nonrefueled flight around the world.

The historic attempt, expected later this year, will be piloted by Steve Fossett, who already holds several aviation records, including the first solo, around-the-world balloon flight.

Designed by Rutan and built at his Scaled Composites, LLC in Mojave, the GlobalFlyer bears more than a passing resemblance to Rutan's previous trans-global record-setter, the Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the globe without refueling.

Bearing the familiar Virgin Atlantic Airways logo on its red twin tails, the GlobalFlyer, like its predecessor, is essentially a flying fuel tank.

Built of composite materials, the aircraft features a center crew cabin and two large booms joined by an immense wingspan.

In 1986, Voyager used a twin-prop engine for propulsion. GlobalFlyer features a single jet engine mounted atop the pressurized crew cabin.

The Voyager set the existing world speed record by flying around the world in just more than nine days.

In contrast, the GlobalFlyer, using a single jet engine, aided by the winds of the jet stream and flying above the weather problems that plagued the Voyager, is expected to make the trip in 80 hours. This is due to GlobalFlyer's greater speed capability of more than 250 knots (288 mph), compared to Voyager's roughly 100 knots (115 mph).

For its record-setting flight, GlobalFlyer will take off from an airfield in the central United States and use the winds of the jet stream to aid its Atlantic crossing to the United Kingdom. From there, the route is south to the Mediterranean and through the Persian Gulf to Pakistan, India, China and Japan. It then will cross the Pacific to return to the starting point.

Unlike the grass-roots, volunteer effort of the Voyager, the GlobalFlyer is backed by the corporate might of Branson and Virgin Atlantic. Scaled Composites designed and built the aircraft under contract with Virgin Atlantic.

[greasepaint]

Nowadays, why bother to put a pilot in this thing?

[anymouse]

why bother to put a pilot in this thing?

Because Sir Richard Branson is paying very good money to be the pilot of this unique "round-the-World" aircraft. If he wanted an RC plane, he would go down to his local hobby shop and buy the chain of stores.

[Jimmy Valentine]

I love this stuff. How is Rutan doing with his space craft effort?

Regards,

[Rudder]

Unveiled before international media in January, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is designed to take on what Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson calls the "last great aviation record on Earth" - a solo, nonrefueled flight around the world.

But the last great aviation record was already achieved by...

Rutan's previous trans-global record-setter, the Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the globe without refueling.

It looks like the rcord was already broken...what's up with this?.