Stratolaunch....the biggest aeroplane ever built.

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen unveiled the world's largest aircraft on Wednesday.

The massive plane rolled out by Allen's aerospace firm, Stratolaunch Systems, features the longest wingspan of any aircraft ever built, according to Popular Mechanics.

With a wingspan of 385 feet, the six-engine plane will be larger than Howard Hughes' 1947 H-4 Hercules, known as the 'Spruce Goose,' and the Antonov An-225, a Soviet-era cargo plane originally built to transport the Buran space shuttle that is currently the world's largest aircraft.

The Stratolaunch is an aircraft that is designed to carry rockets between its two fuselages.

Images of the mammoth plane, nicknamed the 'Roc,' were released Wednesday.

It shows the plane emerging from its hangar in California's Mojave Desert.

The plane was built by Scaled Composites, an aerospace company founded by Allen's partner in the Stratolaunch project, Burt Rutan.

It is designed to carry a maximum takeoff weight of 1.3million pounds, according to The Verge.

The plane rolls around with the aid of 28 wheels. Once airborne, it is powered by six 747 aircraft engines.

 

[Duality92]

awkward looking design isn't it? I'm sure it's designed for it, but I have the impression that it would like break in the middle lol

 

[JunkBear]

Two french Concord that they fixes the nose and cutter the tip. Then proceed to make à P-38 with it

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

awkward looking design isn't it? I'm sure it's designed for it, but I have the impression that it would like break in the middle lol

There will be a rocket in the middle, thats the whole point of the thing.

 

[64K]

The pics in #1 show it with a cockpit on both sides and what looks to me like a blunt nose. I don't know very much about aerodynamics but wouldn't this increase drag?

The pics in #4 show it with what looks to me like more aerodynamic noses and a cockpit only on the right side which makes sense because there would only be one pilot.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The pics in #1 show it with a cockpit on both sides and what looks to me like a blunt nose. I don't know very much about aerodynamics but wouldn't this increase drag?

The pics in #4 show it with what looks to me like more aerodynamic noses and a cockpit only on the right side which makes sense because there would only be one pilot.

post #4 pics are artists impressions........post #1 are real

 

[_JP_]

Pretty much this on a whole new level

 

[Easy Rhino]

For those that are critical, please present the airplanes you have engineered for consideration. Thanks.

 

[m0nt3]

I would hate to try and land that thing, actually I would hate trying to land anything, never piloted an aircraft.

 

[uuuaaaaaa]

This reminds of recent AMD cpu designs (I do not have anything against it).

 

[cdawall]

Um the nose Radome and most other door style panels aren't installed yet... That's how most planes look before you put the radome on.

 

[qubit]

Pretty much this on a whole new level

That's one whole new level of weird, lol.

 

[rtwjunkie]

For those that are critical, please present the airplanes you have engineered for consideration. Thanks.

So none of these people is allowed an opinion? It was designed by engineers, therefore everyone must cheer? At least, that's the basic gist I get from your statement.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

wasnt richard branson working on a similar design with the aim to make 'space travel' a thing???? I say space travel, but what i mean to say is he & his team designed a plane that could reach the limits of the earth's stratosphere and still keep flying.

 

[Easy Rhino]

So none of these people is allowed an opinion? It was designed by engineers, therefore everyone must cheer? At least, that's the basic gist I get from your statement.

those people are allowed an opinion it just doesn't mean anything.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Virgin Galactic

 

[cdawall]

So none of these people is allowed an opinion? It was designed by engineers, therefore everyone must cheer? At least, that's the basic gist I get from your statement.

I mean it would be nice if those commenting would at least have a basic knowledge of what they are looking at. I mean the obvious lack of a nose radome is well obvious. What is the next comment, OMG THERE ARE NO DOORS?

 

[64K]

Um the nose Radome and most other door style panels aren't installed yet... That's how most planes look before you put the radome on.

I've never heard of a nose randome. I didn't know why the noses were blunt. That's why I asked the question about aerodynamics.

 

[cdawall]

I've never heard of a nose randome. I didn't know why the noses were blunt. That's why I asked the question about aerodynamics.

Just one of those things. The nose isn't blunt the whole thing is missing.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

awkward looking design isn't it? I'm sure it's designed for it, but I have the impression that it would like break in the middle lol

For those that are critical, please present the airplanes you have engineered for consideration. Thanks.

I'm not an engineer, but I will admit that the first thing I noticed that was the tail was not joined, which lead me to a similar conclusion as @Duality92 . What if all three engines on one side quit? Would that torque not tend to snap the plane in half? Then the picture of the payload came up, which can be up to 550,000 pounds, (that would actually put the combined weight over the 1.3M# number above) and I realized that this is most likely a flying wing with "fuselages" there to house the landing gear and people and to provide directional control.

The pics in #1 show it with a cockpit on both sides and what looks to me like a blunt nose. I don't know very much about aerodynamics but wouldn't this increase drag?

The pics in #4 show it with what looks to me like more aerodynamic noses and a cockpit only on the right side which makes sense because there would only be one pilot.

Just a guess: Aircraft Crew on one side, Payload Crew on the other????

I do find this roll out of an incomplete aircraft curious. Thinking it was done for financial competition reasons.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

the payload is a rocket and there will be 3 crew onboard, a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer – who will have safety responsibilities for the rocket. The complex launch sequence will be performed from the ground via a two-way telemetry/command link

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

The world's biggest plane is a step closer to its first flight.

The aircraft successfully fired all six of its Pratt and Whitney turbofan engines - each weighing 8,940lbs (4,000kg) - for the first time this week.

The Stratolaunch team completed fuel testing of all six fuel tanks to ensure their proper operations at the company’s facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Each of the six tanks were filled independently to check their fuel mechanisms were working correctly and to that they were properly sealed.

In addition to fuel testing, engineers began testing the flight control system.

So far, they have have exercised the full limits of motion and rate of deflection of the wings control surfaces and stabilisers.

Building up to this week’s engine tests, electrical, pneumatic, and fire detection systems were also given a once over.

Writing on the Stratolaunch website, CEO Jean Floyd said: 'Engine testing was conducted with a build-up approach and consisted of three phases.

'First as a "dry motor", where we used an auxiliary power unit to charge the engine.

'Next, as a "wet motor" where we introduced fuel. 'Finally, each engine was started one at a time and allowed to idle.

'In these initial tests, each of the six engines operated as expected.'

Over the next few months, they plan to continue to test the aircraft’s engines at higher power levels and varying configurations, culminating in the start of taxi tests on the runway.

 

[Vayra86]

Weird, gives the impression of two airplanes glued together.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Text to speech videos = garbage.

 

[Vya Domus]

Still , seems like the good 'ol Antonov An-225 can carry a payload almost 3 times heavier , according to Wiki.