So, what exactly was the record broken?
A point-to-point record means what?
(please forgive me if this is an inane question.)
What's the point of a rocket plane? Is the atmosphere getting too thin to support combustion?
Dick Rutan is one amazing fellow.
bump
The name RRL has a nice ring to it. Controled rocket racing, sounds cool.
"Far Out!"
Pilot Dick Rutan embarks Saturday on his record-setting flight from Mojave to California City in XCOR's EZ-Rocket. Photo by Alan Radecki.
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
I love it when one of my larger stock purchases is in a company that starts breaking records... MUAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!
fueled by isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygenOh, baby.