The first time Stratolaunch test pilot and director of flight operations Evan Thomas beheld the company's massive six-engine, high-wing, twin-fuselage, payload-launch aircraft, he was "a bit daunted."
"I'll be honest, the first time I looked at it I went, 'Wow! I don't know that I can fly that. That's going to be a real challenge!"
That's quite an observation from a test pilot who commanded the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Combined Test Force and has over 3,500 hours in the F-16 as an operational fighter pilot and VISTA program test pilot with Calspan.
But the Roc-named for an enormous mythical bird of prey-evokes awe in all who see it. With a wingspan longer than a football field-385 feet-and a takeoff weight that can be up to 1.3 million pounds, Roc is the biggest composite airplane on the planet and the world's largest operational aircraft. Scaled Composites, the firm founded by famed designer Burt Rutan in Mojave, California, created Roc as its "Model 351" in 2012. It was intended to be a gigantic space launch vehicle if you will, meant to take large payload-carrying spacecraft to altitude for launch into orbit.
Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded Stratolaunch in 2011. But build challenges delayed its first flight until April 2019. By that time, Allen-also known for the warbirds he amassed for his terrific Flying Heritage Collection now belonging to Steuart Walton of Walmart-had passed away.
The Allen family supported development of the Roc for about a year after his death, then withdrew as Stratolaunch pivoted to a new business, using Roc as the launch vehicle for a hypersonic testbed known as "Talon-A."
With hypersonic missile and vehicle development a high priority for the Department of Defense, Stratolaunch recognized an opportunity to accelerate hypersonic research in the real world, outside of wind tunnels with Talon-A.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av Flight Journal.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av Flight Journal.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A-26 BRIDGE BUSTER
Courage under fire in North Vietnam
Spitfire FIGHTER-BOMBERS
The iconic fighter was surprisingly effective in other roles
"BAT WING" LIGHTNING
The Charlie-Model F-35
OUTGUNNED & OUTMANNED
A losing battle against a well-equipped foe
Wichita Wonder
Cessna’s I-50 proves to be astonishingly necessary for RCAF trainees
WARRIORS REMEMBERED
Families gather in England to pay tribute to a fallen WW II aircrew
Lockheed XP-49: Trying to Do the P-38 One Better
IT MADE NUMEROUS TEST FLIGHTS and at least one cross-country journey, yet no air-to-air picture of it appears to have survived.
Keeping 'em Flying!- The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics
The new generation of warbird pilots, restorers and mechanics. Nearly 80 years after the end of World War II, the fighters, bombers, and trainers that defended freedom continue to enthrall and inspire audiences at airshows, thanks to generations of warbird pilots, maintainers, restoration specialists and collectors. In our September, 2022 issue we introduced you to the young warbird pilots, maintainers and restorers who are already beginning to displace more "experienced" warbird fliers and fixers.
The Corsair Maker- Bringing the Vought Corsair to the fleet was a daunting challenge that spanned nearly three years.
When the first production Corsairs exited the Stratford factory in June 1942, Guyton, as seen here, was tapped to manage the flight and production test program. Armament was improved to six wing-mounted .50s, displacing the wing fuel tanks now placed forward of the cockpit which necessarily was moved rearward by 32 inches. Overall length was increased, armor plate added, landing, arresting and tail gear improved, aileron control enhanced, and a new version of the R2800 engine was incorporated. But those significant improvements unearthed numerous idiosyncrasies that would take an extended period to make the Corsair acceptable for carrier operations
STARFIRES Over Korea
F-94 pilots tangle with MiGs
