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Briton to Pilot First Commercial Space Flights

A New Era in Commercial Passenger Travel will be led by British Pilot Capt. David Mackay

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...69_634x286.jpg
Virgin Galactic's SS2 will become the first commercial passenger spacecraft in history

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A British pilot is set to fulfil his childhood dream by becoming the first captain to fly tourists into space.

David Mackay, 53, will be the chief pilot for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic when it begins the first sub-orbital space flights by 2013.
Over 400 passengers have already paid £125,000 for the privilege of a weightless flight 100km above the earth's surface.

The aspiring astronaut spent 16 years with the RAF before joining Virgin Atlantic in 1995, working as a captain with Virgin Atlantic.

Mr Mackay is one of just four pilots selected to become Virgin Galactic test pilots working with the development team at Virgin's Spaceport centre in the US.

The WhiteKnightTwo is a jet-powered cargo aircraft which will be used to launch the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft carrying commercial passengers.

It will take about an hour for the mothership to reach an altitude of 50,000ft before the spacecraft it is carrying is launched.

The spaceship will then fire its rocket motor and accelerate to 2,500mph in less than a minute as it leaves the atmosphere.

Describing what the passengers will experience, Mr Mackay said: 'It will be close to 4g acceleration which is a huge push in the back.

'So it will be a very exciting rocket ride, it will last about a minute during which they will be pinned back into their seats.

'There will be an increase in noise and vibration so they'll definitely know they are heading into space.' Once the ship is 360,000ft above the planet, passengers will be allowed to unstrap their seatbelts and experience weightlessness.

They will see the Earth from above before the craft makes its return in the three-and-a-half hours journey.

"Mr Mackay said his experience made him the obvious choice to be the first pilot to take tourists into space."

At least he has a good opinion of himself. Any idea what is his exact background in the RAF ?

Jesus! Great news on a great "first" and a Briton in the front seat and all you can do is snipe!

Pathertic miseryguts. Go away, and please stay away.

Harrier.

Probably :}

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100km above the earth's surface.

If they can get 300km out of that, we'd like to borrow it since we'll be needing a lift to the International Space Station.

Meal service? Gratis or do the PAX pay.

Wonder it they have had any applications from recently out of work space shuttle crews?.

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Originally Posted by SFCC (Post 6617170)

Harrier.

Probably :}

Almost true! ;)
Dave Mackay

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Mr Mackay joined the RAF in 1979 and spent 16 years with the service, half of that time as a test pilot.

He graduated with his test pilot wings from the French test pilots’ school, Ecole due Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Reception (EPNER) in 1988 through an exchange with EPNER and the RAF’s Empire Test Pilot School.

His work included trials on the Harrier G7, before becoming Officer Commander of the Fast Jet Test Flight at Boscombe Down in 1992.

In 1995 he left his position as Principal Fixed Wing Tutor at the Empire Test Pilots’ School to join Virgin Atlantic. He became a captain on the Boeing 747 in 1999 and also flew the Airbus 340.

He has flown over 11,000 hours on over 100 different types of aircraft.

Agaricus,
I was not sarcastic at all when asking what his background was in the RAF (and I'm not british)
Thank you to the colleague posting an answer just above :
so yes, fighter pilot, graduate of the FRENCH Test Pilot School, and then a full career in Flight Test at Boscombe Down (so a real test pilot at least this time) before embrassing a little bit of airline career, appropriately with Virgin. Nothing to add, well done fellow, and best wishes.

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Meal service? Gratis or do the PAX pay.

I don't think they want any stomach content on this trip. They may serve some booze on the way back though ;-)

Good Luck to him

With that extra 4% he just got he must be quids in! :rolleyes:

BTW where can I bet this is all just spin? :E

11,000 hours does that mean he'll be able to cover all the planet? or just a small part of the ocean?

Answer on a post card :ugh:

I believe I met David in 2009. I must have his business card lying around somewhere at home (complete with Virgin Galactic logo if I recall correctly!).

If it's the same chap, then I can say that he was a really friendly, down to earth guy, and gave me a lot of encouragement with my own flying career. As far as I recall he also flies warbirds for the Shuttleworth Collection. And all-round nice guy. :ok:

Admit it, given a chance any of us aviators would give the ole left one for the opportunity eh :E

So, when does this hallowed place get renamed "PPARune - Professional Pilots and Astronaughts Rumour Network"? ;)

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Admit it, given a chance any of us aviators would give the ole left one for the opportunity eh

Hmm...the Virgin SS2 isn't exactly going to voyage through space though, is it? It's not embarking on a continuing mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations, or even to boldly go where no man (oops, I mean no one, sorry stepwilk) has gone before.

It's more a sort of very limited and expensive mission, to briefly spend some time above the atmosphere, to seek out slightly new sensory experiences for jaded, thrill-seeking millionaires, to tentatively go part of the way to where lots of men have gone before....

I think because space is space people sometimes tend to overestimate how interesting it actually is. Did you know, for example, that there isn't a single good pony trekking trail in space? It's true! I looked it up. It also turns out there are no Italian restaurants, no golf courses, no beaches, and not a single place to get a beer. :ugh:

My advice to those "space tourists" (does it even count as tourism if you stick your head into a place for a few minutes?) would be to save themselves about £124,000 and go to Majorca.

No Golf and no BEER?

Right; that's off my "to do" list then.

My guess is that those who go for it will not be disappointed.

An ex-US Army colleague of mine managed to get aboard the SR-71 trainer. He told me it was a life-changing experience.

Fantastic for the pilots and crew.

I'm no God botherer but... there's something obscene about people pi$$ing $125000 away on a fairground ride, when kids are drawing there last starving breath in East Africa.

Sorry to preach chaps.

But what about the hosties??? :}

I trust the flight will stow a large compliment of sick bags... Weightless vomit (as many here will know) gets everywhere!

Well done to Captain Mackay though and good luck to the already (clearly) lucky passengers.

Caco