credit Flight
The return to flight of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo mothership WhiteKnightTwo was delayed yesterday when a Douglas DC-3 that belongs to the National Test Pilot School went off the runway on take-off and crashed. Fortunately no one, as far as we know, was badly hurt
WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) had been taxiied out and its chase plane was to be a Beech Starship while the emergency vehicles were also being readied, and fortunately then were out and ready for the DC-3 crash when it happened
After the crash occured WK2 taxiied back to the hangar. Scaled does not comment on its test programmes and strangely there was no NOTAM posted by Mojave airport but I understand that these can be requested of the Federal Aviation Administration and approved within minutes if need be
The WK2's first and last flight was on 21 December 2008, seven weeks ago
on February 5, 2009 12:01 PM | Reply
Bit of a misleading headline, wouldn't you say?
on February 5, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply
No. Not in conjunction with the image of the DC-3.
on February 5, 2009 12:41 PM | Reply
C'mon Whiteknight lets get it going, It wasn't you that crashed. People are itching to get into space sometime within this century. Move it !!!
on February 5, 2009 1:16 PM | Reply
That sure is a big wind farm in the background.
on February 5, 2009 3:38 PM | Reply
Nice. There is a mock-up of the Roton also. Shame they didn't get it into space.
on February 5, 2009 11:25 PM | Reply
Not a mock-up of the Roton, but the actual Roton ATV that flew in the '90s, now on display at Legacy Park.