The development of this behemoth has been great to follow. Will be amazing to see it take to the air next year.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/vide...nway-test/vp-BBJFsAb


http://www.businessinsider.com...it-can-take-flight-8

It'll have to go faster than 46 MPH.

Grizz

It's a fascinating aircraft with an interesting mission. Is Rutan involved in this project?

Yes.

500,000 lbs isn’t all that heavy unless that is empty weight. A C-17’s max gross is 575k and a C-5 is 840k.

Well it was designed to perform a mission, not necessarily carry the most weight.

Besides in the weight lifting catagory a 747 has left the ground with over one million pounds.

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
Well it was designed to perform a mission, not necessarily carry the most weight.

Besides in the weight lifting catagory a 747 has left the ground with over one million pounds.

A million pounds is one thing, but THIS is some heavy metal!

One of my favorite bands since I was a kid - Iron Maiden! Bruce the singer flies it himself! Last major tour they used a 757 - the latest, Ed Force One!

quote:

Originally posted by Cougarz:
Well it was designed to perform a mission, not necessarily carry the most weight.

Besides in the weight lifting catagory a 747 has left the ground with over one million pounds.

Yes and the AN 225 has a max TO weight of 1410k. Thus, calling the Stratolaunch the world's largest airplane is incorrect when it is outclassed in weight by many others....that is assuming the 500k weight wasn't an empty weight....

Regardless, it is a cool plane indeed!!

I think they meant largest by dimension, not weight. Scaled Composites does turn out some interesting stuff indeed.

I was also thinking of the Antonov AN-124 with its 893,000-pound gross weight, but I see the 747-8F beats it.
We had an Antonov fly in to the Medford Airport in Oregon some years back to haul a load of Erickson AirCranes to Europe to fight wildfires. It's a big bird!

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I was also thinking of the Antonov AN-124 with its 893,000-pound gross weight, but I see the 747-8F beats it.
We had an Antonov fly in to the Medford Airport in Oregon some years back to haul a load of Erickson AirCranes to Europe to fight wildfires. It's a big bird!

I worked at the airport out in Leesburg VA when Erickon’S “Bubba” skycrane was there to do work on the Capitol building. It created so much rotor wash we had to move two lines of cessnas and pipers to prevent damage. They als had an engine issue and they overnight freighted an engine to the airport and replaced it right on the ramp. Amazing helicopter!

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I was also thinking of the Antonov AN-124 with its 893,000-pound gross weight, but I see the 747-8F beats it.
We had an Antonov fly in to the Medford Airport in Oregon some years back to haul a load of Erickson AirCranes to Europe to fight wildfires. It's a big bird!

I worked at the airport out in Leesburg VA when Erickon’S “Bubba” skycrane was there to do work on the Capitol building. It created so much rotor wash we had to move two lines of cessnas and pipers to prevent damage. They als had an engine issue and they overnight freighted an engine to the airport and replaced it right on the ramp. Amazing helicopter!

Had one of those doing power line erection here. Two pilots sitting back to back, one flies to destination and the other places the load when they get there. Neat machine.

Grizz

Those AirCranes made a lot of money for Erickson, and he started collecting aircraft. For a while, he kept some in Medford and some at the Oregon Coast, in an old Navy blimp hangar near the city of Tillamook. He found it was less expensive -- and took less maintenance -- to keep his collection together in the dry air of the high desert of eastern Oregon -- in the small town of Madras north of Bend/Redmond.

http://www.ericksoncollection.com/aircraft/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillamook_Air_Museum