| Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer | | | | Description | | Role | Non-stop circumnavigator | | Crew | 1 | | First Flight | 2004 | | Manufacturer | Scaled Composites | | Dimensions | | Length | 38 ft 4 in | 11.7 m | | Wingspan | 114 ft 10 in | 35 m | | Height | 11 ft 10 in | 3.6 m | | Wing Area | 400 ft² | 37 m² | | Weights | | Empty | 3,530 lb | 1,600 kg | | Loaded | 22,000 lb | 10,000 kg | | Maximum takeoff | lb | kg | | Powerplant | | Engines | 1 Williams International FJ44-3 ATW turbofan | | Thrust | 2,300 lb | 10.2 kN | | Performance | | Maximum speed | 275 mph | 440 km/h | | Range (still air) | 21,000 miles | 33,800 km | | Service ceiling | 45,000 ft | 14,000 m | | Rate of climb | ft/min | m/min | | Wing loading | 55 lb/ft² | 270 kg/m² | | Thrust/Weight | 0.10 | | Avionics | | Avionics | Chelton EFIS | The aircraft in its hangar in Mojave. This plane has a LONG wing! The Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan that Steve Fossett hopes to fly in a non-stop solo trip around the world. If successful, the feat would match the distance set by the previous Burtan-designed Voyager aircraft and would likely finish in less than half the time, around 63 hours. The attempt is being described as 'The last great aviation record attempt'.
The Voyager aircraft suffered from design flaws that made it warp in shape very easily, so the GlobalFlyer is designed to have greater stiffness. It is also designed to fly much faster than the Voyager mainly due to the fact that it has a turbofan powerplant.
The aircraft is being financed by Richard Branson's airline, Virgin Atlantic, and is built by Burt Rutan's company, Scaled Composites.
GlobalFlyer is constructed of carbon fiber and epoxy materials, the main structural member being a slender single piece 37m wing. The pressurised cockpit is mounted in the centre with the power plant above it. Outboard on the wings are mounted two long booms containing the fuel, and ending in tail units which are not cross-connected.
The initial 'napkin' sketch of the aircraft by Burt Rutan The use of lightweight materials permits the fuel to comprise 82% of the take-off weight: a practically unheard-of ratio in the aviation world.
Tail parachutes are used to increase drag in the descent phase, which is what allows the incredibly aerodynamic craft to lose the altitude and speed required to make a landing.
A tail wind will be essential to making it the 36,787.559 kilometres (around 23,000 miles) that it needs to fly in order to meet the FAI's definition of circumnavigation. This means the last few hundred miles will be fairly tense as by that point, the aircraft could well be running on fumes.
The round-the-world attempt was scheduled for early January 2005, from the 12,300ft (3,750m) runway of the municipal airport in Salina, Kansas. However, a late problem with delivering the aircraft to Salina meant that the attempt was pushed back by a few weeks. The current working date for the attempt to take place is no earlier than the 19th February 2005.
Mission Control will be at the adjacent Salina campus of Kansas State University, and promises to be an extremely high-tech affair.
External links
- Official website (http://www.globalflyer.com)
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