Slashdot Mirror
Round the World Flight Set for Monday
An anonymous reader writes "LiveScience is now reporting that Burt Rutan's GlobalFlyer is set for Monday takeoff. The plane, piloted by Steve Fossett, has been grounded since January by weather. The mission: the first solo, nonstop circumnavigation of the globe via jet powered craft without refueling." Commentary also available from the BBC.
The first successful nonstop, nonrefueling flight was made by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in their Scaled Composites Model 76 Voyager back in 1986. That one wasn't solo though.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
Hal & Viola Leveller fly to Laughlin, Nevada from Southern California every week without refueling. And you don't see them being the subject of an article on Slashdot.
:-M
In this context, the term circumnavigate historically meant by boat or ship, however recently aircraft have been added. Spacecraft aren't included in this illustrious set.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumnavigation
Burt was the first with an airplane, but it was powered by props. Steve is trying to be the first with a jet engine. A single jet engine in this case.
The many NASA Mercury flights, and the first set of Russian flights.
John Glenn did it for the Americans soon after.
I think a chap called Yuri Gagarin may qualify, and if he does not another Russian or one of the Mercury pilots definatly will
It may come as a suprise to you, but it is possible to store information in this thing called a brain
flight tracking via gpsd
"Spaceship == Space
Aircraft == Air"
Space is just an arbitrary definition on where the atmosphere ends. It has no real justification other than the fact that atmospheric forces (such as friction) are significantly less. But that could be said of the upper atmosphere that isn't considered space. At a cruising altitude of 100,000 feet, the X-43 didn't experience the same forces as a 747 experiences, but the X-43 is still considered an aircraft. Before you enter space you are flying in an aircraft and when you reenter the atmosphere you are flying in an aircraft. Why then would your spacecraft not be considered an aircraft for its entire flight?
"Think before asking silly questions mmmkay?"
He/She did. Accepting the party line that space and air are concrete and different things makes life easy but doesn't really help describe the significance of major events, like the first solo around the world flight in the 60s by the Soviet Union.
Much more information suitable to the slashdot crowd is available at:
http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/
We don't like press releases or watered down news articles.
Also, I bet the US government has some recon plane that has/can do something like this. I know it's possible with mid-air refueling but I bet they can do it without. Just my $0.02
- Cary
--Fairfax Underground: Where Fairfax County comes out to play
Surely you're aware that Rutan's first design was one that you (YOU!) could literally build in your garage, right?
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
That's so NOT true ! The FAI's rules state that a record attempt like this must start and finish at the same airfield and cross all meridians of the globe. What's more the course must not be less than the very precise figure of 36,787.559 kilometres (around 23,000 miles) which is equal in length to the Tropic of Cancer. To allow the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to catch the vital jet stream winds, the FAI rules don't oblige that record attempts follow the imaginary line of the Tropic itself but simply that the distance flown exceeds it. That doesn't mean, however, that Steve Fossett could fly across the Poles. The course must also be kept away from the North and South "Frigid Zones", defined as being at latitudes of over 66degrees33minutes.
"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for it's children." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Your definition is, well, lame.
285 mph - does that sound like an 87-hour trip when you do the calculations?
Hal and Viola Leveller are characters on the Phil Hendrie radio show. The recurring gag is that they call in to the show during their flight to Laughlin, and get into very animated discussions with Phil when they should be concentrating on flying their plane.
It's not the funniest skit on the show, but it is mildly entertaining. I personally prefer Phil's commentary to his skits.
The FAI's rules state that a record attempt like this must start and finish at the same airfield and cross all meridians of the globe. What's more the course must not be less than the very precise figure of 36,787.559 kilometres (around 23,000 miles) which is equal in length to the Tropic of Cancer. To allow the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to catch the vital jet stream winds, the FAI rules don't oblige that record attempts follow the imaginary line of the Tropic itself but simply that the distance flown exceeds it.
with FAI being Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) - the world's air sports federation.
Go Rutan, first non-stop around the world (voyager.) First Civilain plane into space (spaceship one,)and now this
This also does not include his incredibly well known kitbuilt aircraft long and veri ez's, the Beech starship, or the numerous military projects he has done.
Rutan will most likly go down as one the most important aircraft designers of all time.
---In a time of Chimpanzees I was a Monkey.
According to the BBC article, he will be getting next to no sleep.
Apparently he's pretty used to feats of endurance, and he holds records in aviation and sailing. Due to the nature of the aircraft and the flying conditions, he will constantly have to be at the controls. The only sleep he expects is in the form of 5 minute naps, for which an autopilot backup and countdown alarm will be available.
His voyage will only take around 80 hours. The first around the world flight of this sort (in 1986) took about 9 days. The two pilots had to work in short shifts, but were severely fatigued at the end of the journey. This solo journey is possible for Steve Fossett because he is using a jet engine.
...I've heard that Boeing plans to do a very spectacular long-distance flight with the new 777-200 Long Range model.
It sounds like Boeing might try to fly a 777-200LR with a completely stripped-out interior and loading it down with the weight equivalent of the interior parts plus standard cargo load in pre-cooled Jet A fuel. That could make it possible for the 777-200LR to fly as much as 13,000 nautical miles or so.
Is there someway that we can see the planned route ...
Yup, the BBC has a map of the planned route, here.
Ceci n'est pas un sig.