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World's largest plane prepares for maiden flight | FairPlane UK / 14.03.2018
Today we’re taking a break from the world of flight delays and cancellations to bring you news of a new aircraft, but not one that you’ll be seeing at your local airport anytime soon.
It won’t be long now before we see the largest aircraft ever made take to the skies.
But it’s unlikely that you or I are ever likely to be on board, as the craft has primarily been designed to help rockets on the first left of their journey as they leave earth and head for outer space.
Stratolaunch, the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen weighs 580 tons, boats six engines and a wingspan that is wider than a football pitch.
It has been in production in a purpose made hanger in the California desert since 2011, but this week completed its first runway taxi test. As long as things go according to plan the Stratolaunch should be airborne by sometime next year.
By using a giant aircraft like Stratolaunch instead of a traditional launch pad, the cost of sending rockets into space should be greatly reduced as far less fuel will be required to get the rocket airborne.
Launch schedules will less likely to be affected by adverse weather conditions as stratolaunch will be able to carry rockets up height in excess of 36,000 ft. before releasing them.
Allen and his fellow co-founder Burt Rutan founder previously collaborated on SpaceShipOne, the first privately built aircraft to achieve supersonic flight.
Allen, who left Microsoft in 1982, still owns a sizeable stake in the corporation and has a reported net worth £15.3BN.
So what’s next for the pair? Allen and Rutan are now rumoured to be working on a reusable spacecraft under the working name of ‘Black Ice’.
