View Full Version : Virgin Galactic - Powered Flight
smujsmith
29th Apr 2013, 20:11
Looks like Sir Richard has a powered spaceship now -
Galactic is go! Richard Branson's tourist spaceship makes it first powered flight | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2316709/Galactic-Richard-Bransons-tourist-spaceship-makes-powered-flight.html)
That's a hell of a reheat plume :eek:
Smudge
Standing by to be corrected but I believe it's a rocket motor so not exactly reheat!!
Also, military???
Impressive none the less.
What I would do for a ride in that.
Stuff
29th Apr 2013, 21:10
Also, military???
There was a plan at one point to fly it out of Lossiemouth, that's enough of a tenuous link for me.
Impressive acceleration :)
dead_pan
29th Apr 2013, 22:03
That looks like one hell of a ride. The drop from the mothership is going to be a real butt clencher - no doubt the Virgin marketing machine will be telling punters they will experience a 'small jolt' as they separate...
Stuff
"Impressive acceleration http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/smile.gif"
Not as impressive as that Ramjet the US military is playing with :ok:
That I would like to see.
VX275
30th Apr 2013, 05:19
Also, military???
At the WK2 controls were Virgin Galactic’s Chief Pilot Dave Mackay, assisted by Clint Nichols and Brian Maisler, co-pilot and flight test engineer, respectively,
Well I knew Dave Mackay when he was in the RAF.
Roland Pulfrew
30th Apr 2013, 06:10
And according to ITV News (http://www.itv.com/news/2013-04-30/virgin-galactic-aircraft-breaks-sound-barrier-on-test-flight/), they've now achieved supersonic in that small rocket ship.
Congratulations and Jubilations!!
Rgds SOS
(Sir Cliff has now been replaced by Sir Richard!)
MFC_Fly
1st May 2013, 11:44
Also, military??? Such comments always make me smile.
The way I see it is this forum is "a forum for the professionals who fly the non-civilian hardware, and the backroom boys and girls without whom nothing would leave the ground" (my highlight) not a forum that has to have posts that only relate to military aviation subjects :eek:
Always Up
1st May 2013, 18:55
Absolutely amazing, been following this since they won the X prize. I'm a big fan of Richard Branson, hats off to him he has the skills to open up space, albeit sub orbital at the moment, to the commercial market. Only taken some 50 years! I'm saving up for a ticket now ;)
MFC Fly
Happy to oblige. :O
BBK