TO THE NEXT TOWN RUTAN TO ATTEMPT RECORD IN ROCKET.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer MOJAVE - Dick Rutan Richard Glenn “Dick” Rutan (born July 1, 1938) is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop with the assistance of Jeana Yeager. He was born in Loma Linda, California, where he gained an interest in flight at a young age. , who got into the record books by flying around the world in 1986, is scheduled to make another record-setting flight - this time a hop of about 11 miles. Rutan is scheduled to fly XCOR's EZ-Rocket aircraft on Saturday from the Mojave Airport to the California City Airport, setting a point-to-point record for a rocket-powered aircraft A rocket-powered aircraft or rocket plane is an aircraft that uses a rocket for propulsion, sometimes in addition to airbreathing jet engines. Rocket planes can achieve much higher speeds than similarly-sized jet aircraft, but for much shorter periods of operation, typically . ``It will be the shortest long-distance flight record,'' Rutan said. ``I have a lot of records, but I don't have one in a rocket-powered aircraft.'' The EZ-Rocket is a modified Long-EZ, a popular kit plane designed by Rutan's brother Burt. The airplane is powered by two 400-pound thrust rocket engines. Rutan conducted the initial flight testing of the rocket plane rocket plane n. 1. An aircraft powered by one or more rocket engines. 2. An aircraft designed to carry and launch rockets. in the summer of 2001. Rutan has made 16 flights in the aircraft. The rocket engines on the aircraft will burn for about two minutes. During the flight, Rutan will bring the plane up to an altitude of about 12,000 feet. ``Hopefully I'll be close to Cal City when they (the rocket engines) do burn out,'' Rutan said. ``I hope it goes routine, but it is a horse of a different color. It is a rocket system.'' The aircraft is being used by XCOR XCOR Cross-Correlation to develop technologies for routine, safe, reliable and cheap rocket propulsion Rocket propulsion The process of imparting a force to a flying vehicle, such as a missile or a spacecraft, by the momentum of ejected matter. This matter, called propellant, is stored in the vehicle and ejected at high velocity. for aircraft. ``When we first asked Dick to be our test pilot, we had no money at the time,'' said XCOR spokeswoman Aleta Jackson. ``We told him we would put him in the record books. This is our thank you to Dick Rutan.'' There is no record for a rocket plane in the EZ-Rocket's weight class, which is for an airplane between 500 kilograms and 1,000 kilograms, or 1,100 to 2,200 pounds. There was a flight of 122 feet that was made by a rocket-powered plane that weighed under 300 kilograms, said Art Greenfield of the National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the international standard setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics. NAA is the record-keeper for United States aviation. . The NAA NAA Nomina Anatomica Avium. will have an observer on hand for Saturday's flight. If the NAA approves the record, it will be submitted for recognition by the Federation Aeronautique International as a world record, Greenfield said. Rutan is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who drew international attention when he and co-pilot Jeana Yeager flew the Voyager aircraft around the world in 1986. The flight was the first nonstop HP's brand name for its fault-tolerant servers, which range in size from four CPUs to 4,000 CPUs. The NonStop line was created by Tandem Computers, which was acquired by Compaq, which later became part of HP. , unrefueled around-the-world trip. XCOR is also trying to line up another first - the first rocket-powered delivery of mail. The company is proposing to deliver mail bound from Mojave to California City, but those arrangements are still pending. The aircraft will carry a small packet of mementos for XCOR workers. Plans call for keeping the aircraft at the California City Airport at least through Dec. 10, when a Toys for Tots Toys For Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks. campaign will be held at the facility. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): Photo: (1 -- color) This EZ-Rocket plane from XCOR will be flown byDick Rutan on Saturday in a short-distance flight record attempt. (2 -- color) ``I have a lot of records,'' says pilot Dick Rutan, ``but I don't have one in a rocket-powered aircraft.'' Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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