Following on from the blogs and other internet reports from the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference I have some more information on the work that is being undertaken by Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites
caption: Four PW308A will power WK2 / credit: Pratt & Whitney Canada
Speaking to Virgin Galactic and Pratt & Whitney Canada this week I understand that PW&C engineers and Galactic personnel (some of which maybe Virgin Galactic engineers as it started employing its own technical people last year) are now located at Scaled Composites to help with the project. Pratt & Whitney Canada was awarded the engine contract for its PW308A model last year
White Knight II's wing was fitted "weeks ago" according to Galactic's president Will Whitehorn and P&WC's PW308A engines have been tested prior to their fitting and have had various on-wing tests while they will be fired up next week - don't know though if that was just one engine or multiple as WK2 uses four
The work done so far suggests they could have had internal power-on for WK2 some time ago
The P&WC engineers are helping with the installation of the engines and they will have a longer term involvement with Scaled beyond the ground and flight testing of WK2. For details on that longer term involvement you'll have to wait for my story to appear on flightglobal.com
We now know that 28 July is the official roll out event for WK2 and I know that there could be a "live link" from the Scaled factory to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on the same day, with Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic team going to Oshkosh for the EAA AirVenture on the 29 July. At the Airventure there will be more Galactic promotion going on, I think
A press release has been sent out today by Scaled Composites saying that Burt Rutan is moving over to being chief technology officer and chairman emeritus. This release wasn't on the Scaled website when I wrote this blog entry
White Knight II's wing was fitted "weeks ago" according to Galactic's president Will Whitehorn and P&WC's PW308A engines have been tested prior to their fitting and have had various on-wing tests while they will be fired up next week - don't know though if that was just one engine or multiple as WK2 uses four
The work done so far suggests they could have had internal power-on for WK2 some time ago
The P&WC engineers are helping with the installation of the engines and they will have a longer term involvement with Scaled beyond the ground and flight testing of WK2. For details on that longer term involvement you'll have to wait for my story to appear on flightglobal.com
We now know that 28 July is the official roll out event for WK2 and I know that there could be a "live link" from the Scaled factory to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on the same day, with Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic team going to Oshkosh for the EAA AirVenture on the 29 July. At the Airventure there will be more Galactic promotion going on, I think
A press release has been sent out today by Scaled Composites saying that Burt Rutan is moving over to being chief technology officer and chairman emeritus. This release wasn't on the Scaled website when I wrote this blog entry
Mr. Rutan is so low-key I wonder if he feels uncomfortable with the attention coming from the SS2/WK2 hyberbole. (Do I owe you royalties now?) I think this even extends to the low-key website: your remark about slow updates is dead-on.
Maybe he's in a tight spot sitting between commercial space and all the cool stuff NG wants from him. I think he's their golden goose and that's gotta be getting to him.
My humble suggestion for Mr. Rutan: bring that amazing mind over to the Light Sport Aircraft industry. Give it the jump start it needs and inspire the next generation of dreamers/kit builders/pilots.
I'd proudly grow porkchops if he did :)
I actually made exactly that point to Virgin Galactic's leadership and Burt in an email exchange with them a while ago and unsurprisingly didn't get an answer.
Its an easy conclusion to draw that Burt, a man with a history of working on black projects, has a cultural hurdle to overcome when working with the very overt publicity machine that is the Virgin media relations, public affairs operation, which by corporate standards is proactive, high profile and ready to engage in stunts.
Then again Virgin has been a service provider and has now become an aerospace vehicle developer, so its management is also in new territory. And they have picked a project that was always going to be the highest profile engineering endeavour going.
As for the light sports industry, looking at Burt's aircraft I would predict, with my tounge in my cheek, an asymmetric design with canards.
Mmm, royalties, now there's an idea...
>My humble suggestion for Mr. Rutan: bring that
>amazing mind over to the Light Sport Aircraft
>industry. Give it the jump start it needs and
>inspire the next generation of dreamers/kit
>builders/pilots.
I have to laugh at this suggestion; You both DO know he STARTED there? Rutan Aircraft Factory? Vari-EZ? Long-EZ?
He moved 'up' already and supposdly left a field of new dreamers/pilots and kit builders behind to develop on their own. From what I've been seeing, I think he may have expected too much of those who followed.
Randy
Rutan is simply a very focused individual, and if something isn't a priority then it doesn't require his attention. Scaled doesn't seem to have an issue with the amount and variety of work in house. And up until recently, corporate growth was not a primary concern, so there has been little need for overt marketing. Their achievements speak well enough to make them known to their target audience.
I recall reading an interview where Burt talked about refusing to sign a lucrative government contract due to the extensive paperwork requirements, eventually winning the job on his terms. He's in the Kelly Johnson mold, taking the time and effort to get the job done right, and demanding that his customers allow him to do that his way. And that means few advance schedule committments, performance claims, or worry about website status (much to my lament). I hope Scaled stays true to this despite the many changes going on.
Good afternoon, Randy. Hope you enjoyed the laugh. Anyone who know anything about aviation knows this. The brothers Montgolfier & Wright, Igor Sikorsky, Kelly Johnson & Burt Rutan: *Everything* aviation spawns from their incredible gifts. As far as moving 'up', I don't think anyone would think in terms of 'up' or leaving folks behind. He hasn't sold plans in 24 years for his aircraft and you are correct: no one since has the imagination to come even close to anything he's created. But! What venture capitalist would turn down a chance to put a Rutan LSA design, past or new, into production, targeting the $100K mark? A kit version for a little less? Randy, have you ever been to Oshkosh? I've never met anyone there who felt 'left behind' by the man. Only inspired. Nothin' but love, my friend.
Mmmmm...Rutan isn't well. He had heart surgery not long ago. People who have heard him give talks lately say he has a tendency to go off on tangents.