Well, up past the Karman line anyway :
:P April Fools!
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Well, up past the Karman line anyway :
Order of Kilopi
You know, April Fool or not, I think that would have been high on my list if I'd won that big lottery the other day!
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.
Order of Kilopi
A very impressive prank, especially that stationary!
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Truth or Dare...try singing some John Denver songs when you get there
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Because he's flying for you or because he's looking for space?Originally Posted by publiusr
Truth or Dare...try singing some John Denver songs when you get there
(WOO! Excuse to mention two of my favorite songs in a post!)
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I envy you most in that trip you're not going to take.
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Not exactly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Denver#Death
"Post-accident investigation by the NTSB showed that the experimental Rutan as built had an unusual reconfiguration of the fuel selector valve handle...An NTSB interview with the aircraft mechanic servicing Denver's plane revealed that he and Denver had discussed the inaccessibility of the cockpit fuel selector valve handle and its resistance to being turned."
Something to bear in mind before you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_500
"According to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, "the airplane was trying to land at Midway when the crew encountered a sudden shift in headwinds, which the pilot sought to counter by increasing power, the standard method. But when the pilot tried to cut power a few seconds later, as the airplane touched down, the engines began accelerating to maximum power...In March 2011 the FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive restricting operation of the entire fleet of EA500s to 30,000 ft (9,144 m) from its previous limit of 37,000 ft (11,278 m) and before that 41,000 ft (12,497 m). The AD was required because a build-up of hard carbon deposits on the engine static vanes caused at least six reported engine surge incidents, requiring pilots to decrease power on the affected engine. The FAA was concerned that this problem "could result in flight and landing under single-engine conditions" or if it affected both engines, a double engine failure. This action is considered an interim solution while the engine certification authority, Transport Canada and Pratt & Whitney Canada devise a more permanent solution."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_...fety_incidents
On July 26, 2007, an explosion occurred during testing of SpaceShipTwo's systems, killing three employees and injuring three more
So be careful, Gemini. There is always risk sure...I just want you to know all of this ahead of time.
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Sorry.I thought it was a reference to those songs he wrote about space.
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I think the White Knight carrier aircraft still uses biplane type cables for what that is worth.
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Nothing wrong with that. Even the Boeing 777 and recent Airbuses still use cables for some systems.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.
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That's fine--hey I'm all in favor of back-ups. To me airplanes should have hydraulics, all electric controls and good old fashioned cables. Then too--I'd still have flight engineers too, with the co-pilot having old fashioned dials, and the piolot having all glass displays only.
Still, I wonder how strong the pilot has to be for an all cable system on a jet carrying a heavy payload. Strato-launch will be more like a conventional airliner for that is what it will be based on.
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And don't forget the last backup control for multi-engine aircraft, using the individual throttles.
That's badass.
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The cables don't move the surfaces directly on any airliners above the regional size. They control hydraulic actuators instead. The Boeing 737 does have "manual reversion" which allows the pilot to directly move the surfaces if all hydraulics are lost. The controls become VERY heavy. Larger ones don't have that and are required to have more hydraulic systems for redundancy.
The A380 has only two hydraulic systems, like the 737, but has replaced some of the actuation with electrically powered ones.
Since you mentioned Strato-Launch, I can't for the life of me see why they want to go to six engines. Using four of 777 size would allow them to use the original 747 engine controls. Which are near and dear to my heart since I spent over 20 years working on them.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt.
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Speaking of Stratolaunch--Pop Mech has a new cover on it. To me, SS2 should have been scaled up to fit under the stratolauncher for sub-orbital flights with more paying customers. Then have just a few in the capsule atop the Falcon-derived LV for orbital trips. Hurricane Andrew ravaged Homestead AFB would be a better place to fly out of--farther south.
AN-225 didn't have the wingspan--but it still beats Statolaunch in volume and payload.
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