XCOR Rocket Plane Soars into Record Book

Space.com ^ | 03 December 2005 | Leonard David

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

MOJAVE, California – XCOR's EZ-Rocket flew into the history books today. The craft made a record-setting point-to-point flight, departing here from the Mojave California Spaceport, gliding to a touchdown at a neighboring airport in California City.

The rocket plane was piloted by Dick Rutan, no stranger to milestone-making voyages. In 1986, Rutan was co-pilot on the Voyager airplane that made the first nonstop, around-the-world flight without refueling.

The EZ-Rocket is a modified Long-EZ homebuilt aircraft. The vehicle is propelled by twin 400-pound thrust, regeneratively cooled rocket engines and fueled by isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen.

The EZ-Rocket is able to stop and restart its engines in mid-flight, as well as perform rocket-powered touch-and-goes on a runway.

Down and safe

With Rutan at the controls, the EZ-Rocket lifted off at 11:40 a.m. local time. The craft touched down at the California City airport – about 10 miles northeast of Mojave – some nine minutes later.

Stashed onboard the EZ-Rocket were four pouches of mail, a bill with a check attached, letters from around the world, and other items.

"He's down and safe," said Jeff Greason, XCOR's chief executive officer.

EZ-Rocket: end of the road

The point-to-point hop brings to a close the EZ-Rocket's flight program, with today's flight number 25, said Aleta Jackson, an executive for XCOR Aerospace, based here in Mojave, California.

"Today's flight is the culmination of the EZ-Rocket test series," Jackson told SPACE.com. Among projects on the books at XCOR Aerospace is designing and building the first generation of X-Racers for the newly-formed Rocket Racing League.

It was announced in early October that the X-Racers are based on the design of XCOR's EZ-Rocket. Next-generation vehicles will be using an airframe provided by Velocity of Sebastian, Florida.

Record setting flight

Officials from the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) were on-site to witness the event. The NAA keeps tabs on world and United States aviation and space records. Also on hand were representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration's commercial space transportation office.

"This is a record-setting flight," Jackson said, in terms of distance and based on the rocket-powered airplane taking off from the ground, with the pilot controlling the rocket engine throughout the majority of the flight, and landing the craft.

"The other neat thing about this is that we're connecting Mojave Spaceport to California City," Jackson said. The California City airport may become an alternate landing spot if future rocket vehicles departing out of Mojave run into problems, she said.

History at Mojave

Maximum speed of the rocket plane was estimated at 200 mph, climbing upwards to some 8,500 feet.

"There was enough propellant onboard to go around California City in case somebody was on the wrong runway," said Dan DeLong, XCOR's chief engineer.

Among those witnessing the EZ-Rocket's liftoff was Stuart Witt, Mojave Spaceport Manager. This site was also the location of last year's historic suborbital treks of SpaceShipOne.

"Just another day here at Mojave," Witt told SPACE.com.

[Ostlandr]

What was the point of Glen Curtis' first airplane, or for that matter Henry Ford's first car? They weren't the first, and they weren't really good for much.

The point is, there's money to be made lifting stuff into orbit. We're close to a breakthrough that will lower the cost per pound by 90% or so. Imagine a surplus B-52 carrier aircraft launching a rocket plane that's a quarter the weight of the shuttle orbiter but has the same cargo capacity. Suddenly space tourism is a reality, and missions to the planets just got 50% less expensive due to the lowered orbital launch costs.
I expect to see regular scheduled service to the International Space Station and possibly a couple of pricey zero-G resorts within my lifetime.

[concentric circles]

Pilot Dick Rutan embarks Saturday on his record-setting flight from Mojave to California City in XCOR's EZ-Rocket. Photo by Alan Radecki.

EZ-Rocket flight sets speed/distance record

By Allison Gatlin
Antelope Valley Press - December 4, 2005

MOJAVE - Calling it "the shortest long-distance flight in history," aviator Dick Rutan entered the record books again Saturday, this time for a rocket plane flight from Mojave to California City.

Rutan - who already holds numerous distance and speed records, including the non-stop, round-the world Voyager flight 19 years ago - piloted XCOR Aerospace's EZ-Rocket. Rutan also was the first to test the aircraft when the rocket engine demonstrator debuted in 2001.

The world's first privately built, rocket-powered aircraft, the EZ-Rocket is a Long-EZ kit plane modified with twin 400-pound thrust rocket engines instead of the usual engine and propeller.

The 11-minute trek of just more than 16 kilometers established the distance record for a rocket-powered aircraft, weighing under 1,000 kilograms and taking off from the ground under rocket power.

"Everything worked perfectly," Rutan said upon his arrival at the California City Municipal Airport before an enthusiastic crowd of about 75 well-wishers.

Another large crowd gathered at XCOR's hangar earlier to witness the flight preparations, then lined the fence near the runway to witness the take-off.

Among those on hand were 75-year-old Bill Perry and his family from Huntsville, Ala. Perry was the original builder of the Long-EZ that became the EZ-Rocket.

The airplane was a true labor of love for the former NASA employee, who was on the team that designed the lunar rovers. Working on it daily for seven years, Perry finished the plane in 1987 and enjoyed flying it every chance he could, his daughter, Patsy Perry, said.

When medical conditions prevented Perry from piloting, he sold the Long-EZ to his long-time friend, Dan DeLong, XCOR's chief engineer.

"And this is what he did with it," Perry said, gesturing to the EZ-Rocket as it prepared for flight. "It's an amazing rocket."

High winds in the morning threatened to scuttle Saturday's record attempt, but Rutan declared the way clear after a reconnaissance flight in his own Long-EZ airplane.

With a Beechcraft Bonanza flying chase, the EZ-Rocket roared off the Mojave Airport runway at 11:40 a.m.

Once aloft, Rutan shut off the engines and glided from a maximum altitude of 8,500 feet to California City.

"We could probably glide all the way to Edwards," Rutan was heard over the radio as he approached the airport.

He circled the field twice before touching down, still carrying plenty of fuel as a safety margin. If needed, Rutan could have restarted the rocket engines and returned to Mojave.

"Everything went exactly the way it was supposed to," DeLong said.

Observers from the National Aeronautic Association were on hand to certify the flight. They collected the global positioning satellite system from the EZ-Rocket cockpit and will download the data from that to authenticate the distance traveled, said John Slias of the NAA.

The results - and a lot of associated paperwork - will be sent to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the international body governing aeronautical records.

The EZ-Rocket delivered more than just a record Saturday. The aircraft was also loaded with parcels of mail for special delivery and mementos from crew members.

XCOR CEO Jeff Greason pinned his own National Aeronautic Association pin on Rutan flight suit collar before the flight.

Greason joined the organization, the official record-keeper for United States aviaiton, the week the company decided to build the EZ-Rocket in anticipation of setting records with the vehicle, he said.

Another of XCOR's founding members, Aleta Jackson, sent aloft a silver ring that also flew on the aircraft's first flight.

"It's going on all our flights from now on," she said.

Saturday's flight was the culmination of the EZ-Rocket test program, an operations demonstrator for XCOR's rocket engines. The Mojave-based company develops safe, reusable, routinely operable rocket engines with the intent of opening up private, commercial access to space.

The rocket plane demonstrated this routine operability during flights in 2001 and 2002, repeatedly flying with little or no engine maintenance required.

It was brought out of retirement earlier this year for a series of exhibition flights at the X Prize Cup in Las Cruces, N.M., in a preview of the Rocket Racing League, an aerial racing competition akin to NASCAR but using rocket planes similar to the EZ-Rocket.

XCOR will provide the racer's rocket engine technology, based on that of the EZ-Rocket.

Like the EZ-Rocket, the racers will take off under rocket power, then repeatedly shut down and relight the engines in flight as needed to circle the aerial course.

With Saturday's flight, the EZ-Rocket has 25 flights and more than one hour running time on its rocket engines.

It still has one more flight left: the return trip from California City to Mojave. First, it will be on static display Dec. 10 at the California City Municipal Airport's annual Toys for Tots celebration.

Valley Press Business Editor Tina Forde contributed to this story

[Ostlandr]

We also need to figure out a way to get rednecks to use rocket planes to smuggle stuff.
(Hmm. . . you can fuel a rocket with 'corn derived ethanol' and an oxidizer. . .)
Then NARPAR (National Association of Rocket Powered Aircraft Racing) will really take off. Shade tree aircraft mechanics will be modifying standard high-performance kitplanes for increased performance and carrying capacity.
I can foresee Dale Earnhart III flying the Google plane to victory in the ExxonMobil grand nationals.

[Centurion2000]

home built rocket planes fitted with an autopilot and a payload. Your own personal cruise missle :)

[Nebr FAL owner]

I bet that aircraft can climb like a scalded ass ape!!!!

[orionblamblam]

I love it when one of my larger stock purchases is in a company that starts breaking records... MUAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!

[orionblamblam]

> Not one measly little bit impressed.

Fine. More money for the rest of us.

[orionblamblam]

>>"A suborbital space plane that can take off from an airport, fly to Tokyo, Sydney, or London in 2 hours, and land at an airport might just be something people would pay for."

> That would be an orbital space plane.

Nop, that would not be. An orbital spaceplane would be able to get from point-to-point anywhere on the globe in 45 minutes. Of course, orbital flight for surface-to-surface transportation would be astonishingly silly.

[Rebelbase]

"Kinda like what my wife IM'd her mother on our wedding night."

Haha. Everone knows IM wasn't available on the telegraph.

[Rebelbase]

On someone's earlier reply: "The 11-minute trek of just more than 16 kilometers established the distance record for a rocket-powered aircraft, weighing under 1,000 kilograms and taking off from the ground under rocket power."

[theFIRMbss]

>This is a kit-built plane. You can buy one for $30K
>>Oops. That's with a prop. The rocket costs an additional half a million

Do I get to use
this to put it together?
(I think I'd have

smell a lot of this
first before buying a kit
for five hundred thou . . .)

[Termite_Commander]

Oh. Thanks for the clarification.

[Dan Cooper]

They report the EZ-Rocket climbs at 10,000 fpm. But apparently it has a maximum ceiling of 10,000 feet too, which seems odd.

What is the performance?
With both engines running (800 lb thrust total) and maximum propellant load, takeoff roll is 500m (1650 ft) for 20 seconds. After pulling up, climb is established at constant airspeed at Vne, or 195 knots. Burnout is after a maximum of two minutes, still at 195 knots indicated, which equals Mach 0.4. The maximum altitude that can be attained is 1.91 miles (10,000 ft). The maximum climb rate is 52 m/sec (10,000 ft/min). It is likely we will never take the plane to the maximum altitude capability.

[SunkenCiv]

A whopping 50+ miles per hour! Alright! ;')

fueled by isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen

Oh, baby.

[Vroomfondel]

But apparently it has a maximum ceiling of 10,000 feet too, which seems odd.

Probably because the cockpit isn't pressurized.

[Dan Cooper]

On a closer reading it looks like they have two minutes of thrust, so with a take-off roll and 10K fpm that's probably all they have time for. They wouldn't need to pressurize the cockpit for altitudes above 10K, just an oxygen mask.

[Ostlandr]

Well, the Second Amendment does say "arms" not "those certain firearms which the government shall specify."

Seriously, for a one-way trip you don't need to get nearly so fancy.

[Dan Evans]

(I think I'd have smell a lot of this first before buying a kit for five hundred thou . . .)

Either way it works out, you'll be flying higher than any kid on the block.

[Dan Evans]

They report the EZ-Rocket climbs at 10,000 fpm. But apparently it has a maximum ceiling of 10,000 feet too,

That's because it runs out of fuel after one minute.

[Dan Evans]

Imagine a surplus B-52 carrier aircraft launching a rocket plane that's a quarter the weight of the shuttle orbiter but has the same cargo capacity.

Doesn't the air force launch satellites this way now? You gain a little advantage by getting altitude and above much of the atmosphere, but the 90% of work that has to be done is in accelerating to over 17,000 mph. That takes a great big rocket.

I don't think the breakthrough in cost per pound is going to come from rockets as much as from scram-jets or something more exotic. All that mass costs money. Some people have pointed out that the cost of the fuel for a rocket is insignificant. But the real cost is in the container for that fuel and the infrastructure to assemble the container and launch it.