WhiteKnightTwo Flight Test Update

WhiteKnightTwo: wheels up and looking good!  Photo: VirginGalactic

 Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo, built by Scaled Composites, is well into the flight test phase now and is looking pretty sweet in the air.  This video really helps to get a feel for how graceful the airplane is in flight.

 Given the very unique nature of both the design of the airplane, and the intended task of being an airborne launch vehicle for a manned spacecraft, the testing at this point is going extremely well.

 You may have heard that test flight 4 had an interesting minor strike of the rudders on the runway.  It appears that it wasn't really a big deal, and they are fully aware of what caused the situation, and how to prevent it from happening again.  Here's the official Scaled Composites statement with details about the incident.

 Flight testing of new aircraft designs is always (as in ALWAYS!) full of unique challenges that lead to updated design.  With WK2, you'd expect nothing different.  The free flow of info today tho, tends to give us a look at details we would have rarely known about in the past.

 Here's an interesting look at the way the info about the issue surfaced from Alan Radecki at the Mojave Skies Blog (WK2 and the media).  He's got a great perspective on it all, and his blog always has tons of cool Mojave happenings to check out.

 I've found in my life that the more I try to accomplish things are difficult and challenging, the more I respect the people who make things happen.  They also become a tremendous source of encouragement as well.  Thank you!