Scaled Composites Explained

Scaled Composites, LLC
Type:Division
Founded:1982
Founder:Burt Rutan
Key People:Greg Morris, President
Jennifer Santiago, Executive Vice President
Kevin Mickey, President Emeritus
Location:Mojave, California
Num Employees:Over 200
Industry:Aerospace industry
Products:Air vehicle design, tooling, and manufacturing, specialty composite structure design, analysis and fabrication, and developmental flight test
Parent:Northrop Grumman

Scaled Composites (often called simply Scaled) is an American aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman. It is located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. Founded to develop experimental aircraft, the company now focuses on designing and developing concept craft and prototype fabrication processes for aircraft and other vehicles. It is known for unconventional designs, for its use of non-metal, composite materials, and for winning the Ansari X Prize with its experimental spacecraft SpaceShipOne.

Company history

Scaled Composites was established in 1982 and purchased by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1985, as a result of the collaboration on the Starship project. In 1988, Beech's parent company, Raytheon, sold Scaled back to Rutan, who then sold it to Wyman-Gordon. After Wyman-Gordon was acquired by Precision Castparts Corp., Rutan and ten investors re-acquired the company as Scaled Composites, LLC. Northrop Grumman, a major shareholder in the company with a 40% stake, said it would acquire the company outright on July 20, 2007.[1] Both companies said Northrop Grumman's acquisition would not affect Scaled Composites' strategy or involve replacing Burt Rutan as senior manager.[2] The acquisition by Northrop Grumman was completed on August 24, 2007.[3] Rutan retired in April 2011.[4] Ben Diachun, a long time employee, was president of Scaled from Oct 31, 2015,[5] until April 2019.[6] [7] Cory Bird, another long-time employee, became president of Scaled in April 2019.[8]

Early projects

Before forming Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan had designed several aircraft for amateur builders, including the VariEze, often considered one of general aviation's most innovative designs.[9] [10]

He also designed the Beechcraft Starship, which was a commercial failure. These aircraft were distinctive because of their canard configuration, winglets and pusher propellers.

In 2005, the single-jet GlobalFlyer was flown by billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett on the first solo non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world, and later in the longest flight in history: 41467.53km (25,766.73miles). It had been designed by Rutan, with aerodynamics by John Roncz, and built by Scaled Composites.[11] as the Model 311.

Although their role was not widely publicized, Rutan and Roncz, who had provided aerodynamics support to a number of previous Rutan projects including Starship, helped design, and Scaled Composites manufactured, the double slotted wing mast for the Stars & Stripes catamaran for Dennis Conner's entry in the 1988 America's Cup.[12]

SpaceShipOne

See main article: Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne.

The company announced in April 2003 that it was working on a privately funded spacecraft, in an attempt to win the Ansari X PRIZE for the first private crewed spaceflight. This experimental rocket-powered spacecraft was given the name SpaceShipOne. On December 17, 2003, they announced SpaceShipOne's first supersonic flight, the first flight of its kind by a privately funded aircraft. SpaceShipOne successfully made this flight, reaching 68000feet and 930 mph (Mach 1.2). The craft was taken aloft by the White Knight carrier aircraft. On the same day, Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, confirmed publicly the rumors that he was the angel investor behind the SpaceShipOne venture.

On April 1, 2004, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the company what it called the world's first license for a sub-orbital crewed rocket flight.[13] The license was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which has backed licenses for more than 150 commercial launches of uncrewed launch vehicles in its 20 years, but never a license for crewed flight on a sub-orbital trajectory. The Mojave Airport, operating part-time as Mojave Spaceport, is the launch point for SpaceShipOne. SpaceShipOne performed the first privately funded human spaceflight on June 21, 2004. Flight 16P on September 29, 2004, and Flight 17P on October 4, 2004, won the X-Prize for Scaled Composites and SpaceShipOne.

Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft

See main article: Scaled Composites Stratolaunch.

Scaled Composites Model 351 (nicknamed the "Roc") was built for Stratolaunch Systems to provide a platform from which air-launch space missions can be staged.[14]

In August 2015, Scaled Composites president Kevin Mickey stated the company has so far assembled "roughly 200,000 pounds of composite structure" for the vehicle and if put on a football field, "its wingtips would extend beyond the goalposts by 15 feet on each side."[15]

Each of the twin fuselages of the aircraft is 238feet long and will be supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels. It will require 12,000 feet of runway to lift-off.[16]

Rutan Aircraft Factory aircraft

Burt Rutan created Rutan Aircraft Factory to market a commercial variation of his Model "VariViggen" prototype" he began building in his garage in 1968 which he called The Model 32, also known as the VariViggen SP. This model utilized a slightly longer fuselage, larger span and winglets in order to increase efficiency. Within 8 years after its founding, this company became one of the world's important aircraft design and prototyping companies.[17] The Rutan Aircraft Factory sold over 600 plan sets for the VariViggen to homebuilders, and eventually about 20 of the aircraft were built. Following the crash of one in New Brunswick, Canada, in September 2006 due to wing tank fuel contamination,[18] fewer than five are currently still flying. The prototype aircraft, N27VV, was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in 1988.

Scaled Composites aircraft

Model Name First
flight
Description
115 1982
Scale model for radar cross-section tests of the stealth bomber
133 1986 STOL, tandem-wing transport demonstrator
143 1988 Three-surface, twin-engine very light jet prototype for Beechcraft
1992 larger AAI RQ-2 Pioneer reconnaissance UAV
1992 Reconnaissance UAV for Teledyne Ryan (Northrop Grumman since 1999)
1993 structural aeroshell and control surfaces for McDonnell Douglas
151 1990 single-jet Close Air Support demonstrator
1990 Wings and fins for Orbital ATK
158 1990 twin-boom air racer
1998 UAV tiltrotor demonstrator for Bell Helicopter
205/2061991 designs for airlaunch of a booster rocket heavier than [19]
Orion Industries UAV Model 706 Sea Bat 1995 UAV prototype for the US Navy[20]
247 1996 prototype single-engine very light jet for VisionAire
271 1997 single jet demonstrator for Williams International
276 1998 fuselage of experimental emergency re-entry vehicle for the ISS
281 1998 High-Altitude Long Endurance twinjet with tandem wings
1999 Fuselage for the Rotary Rocket concept of a reusable SSTO manned spacecraft
287 proof of concept model for UAV
309 2000 Piston push-pull six-seater prototype for the Adam A500
326 2001 Northrop Grumman Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle demonstrator
302 2002 prototype general aviation four-seater for Toyota
316 2003 experimental sub-orbital ship for air launch, within Tier One
318 2003 twinjet mother ship for SpaceShipOne derived from Proteus
311 2004 Solo Jet aircraft for nonstop circumnavigation
339 2008
348 2008 quadjet mother ship lifting the SpaceShipTwo to altitude
351 2019 built for Stratolaunch Systems to carry air launch to orbit rockets, largest aircraft by wingspan
367 2011 experimental hybrid electric flying car
395 Proteus development Proposed unmanned and armed version for the USAF Hunter-Killer program
396 Smaller, armed version of the RQ-4 Global Hawk for the USAF Hunter-Killer program
400 2016 jet trainer contender for the T-X program
401 2017 manned and unmanned Close Air Support demonstrators
2020 Air-launched rocket for Virgin Orbit[21]

Other aircraft projects

Non-aircraft work

Accidents and incidents

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: AIN staff. Northrop Grumman Seals Scaled Composites Deal. 2020-08-18. Aviation International News .
  2. Web site: MP-RTIP: Rutan To Get First Crack At Flight Test . December 7, 2006 . UVOnline.com . Shephard Group . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928005204/http://www.shephard.co.uk/UVOnline/Default.aspx?Action=-187126550&ID=561258e2-3206-499e-95b6-61d601fc24a3Rutan%27s . September 28, 2007 . dead . mdy-all .
  3. Web site: Northrop Grumman Completes Acquisition of Scaled Composites, LLC . https://archive.today/20120707054341/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070824/laf051.html . dead . July 7, 2012 . August 25, 2007 .
  4. Web site: Burt Rutan Announces Retirement Plans . July 10, 2011 .
  5. Web site: Scaled president appointed VP of advanced design at Northrop. Drew. James. 2015-10-23. FlightGlobal.com . 2019-05-05. Long-time Scaled vice-president of engineering, Ben Diachun, has been named to fill the vacancy of president effective 31 October.
  6. Web site: Urban Air Mobility Startup Opener Hires Key Execs for Future Blackfly eVTOL. 2019-04-11. . 2019-05-05. Ben Diachun is an industry veteran and innovator who is also now Opener's President. Diachun comes from Scaled Composites and worked with the late Paul Allen on designing and flying the experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft SpaceShipOne..
  7. OPENER Names Ben Diachun President. 2019-04-02. GlobeNewswire News Room. 2019-05-05. As OPENER's President, my goal is to take what has been accomplished by this amazing team to the next level, and successfully bring a safe and affordable flying vehicle to market..
  8. Web site: Scaled Composites Announces Cory Bird as President. spaceref.com. April 8, 2019 . 2019-05-05. Monday, April 8, 2019. Scaled Composites has announced Cory Bird as the company's new president..
  9. Book: Pattillo, Donald M. . The General Aviation Industry in America: A History, 2d ed. . McFarland . 2020 . 978-1-4766-7721-7 . Jefferson, NC . 141 .
  10. Book: van der Linden, F. Robert . The Nation's Hangar: Aircraft Treasures of the Smithsonian . Smithsonian Institution . 2011 . 978-1-58834-316-1 . 173 .
  11. Web site: Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer . National Air and Space Museum . Smithsonian . 10 August 2024.
  12. https://books.google.com/books?id=hQihT38DTvAC&pg=PA52 America's Cup 1988
  13. Web site: SpaceShipOne gets federal go-ahead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160904143253/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4686400/ . dead . September 4, 2016 . December 9, 2009 . NBC News . April 7, 2004 .
  14. Web site: Stratolaunch and Orbital – The Height of Air Launch . NASA . Space flight . May 24, 2013 . August 10, 2015.
  15. Web site: 2016-08-04 . Largest plane in the world to perform test flights in 2016. Mariella . Moon . AOL. Engadget . August 10, 2015.
  16. Web site: SEE IT: World's largest plane under construction in Calif.. NY Daily News. February 26, 2015 . August 10, 2015.
  17. Book: Fisk, Peter . Creative Genius: An Innovation Guide for Business Leaders, Border Crossers and Game Changers . John Wiley & Sons . 2011 . 978-0-85708-023-3 . Hoboken, New Jersey .
  18. Web site: 2006 . Aviation Investigation Report . Transportation Safety Board . . A06A0092.
  19. News: Belfiore. Michael . Burt Rutan on Designing the World's Largest Aircraft . 2012-01-20 . Popular Mechanics . 2012-01-23 . In 1991, to address a requirement to launch a booster heavier than 500,000 pounds, [Rutan] did the Model 205 and 206 preliminary designs. .
  20. Web site: Orion Industries UAV Model 706 Sea Bat Western Museum of Flight. 2021-08-15. WMOF.com .
  21. News: Klotz . Irene . Richard Branson plans to launch satellites . 24 May 2024 . Reuters . 11 July 2012.
  22. Web site: Air Force picks startup JetZero to build blended wing body demonstrator . August 16, 2023 .
  23. News: Fatal explosion at Mojave Airport.
  24. Mojave Air and Space Port press conference on Friday 31 October 2014 at 2:00pm PDT -- involving: the Spaceport, Scaled, Virgin Galactic, County Fire Department, Sheriff's Department
  25. Web site: Statement from Virgin Galactic 31.10.14 . . 31 October 2014 . VirginGalactic.com . 12 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141114104554/http://www.virgingalactic.com/statement-from-virgin-galactic/ . 14 November 2014.
  26. Web site: The Space Review: A Failure of Foresight and Oversight. August 10, 2015.