stratolaunch
 

Is now ready for fuel testing...

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So many questions, but the first....why two pilot stations/cabins ?

Perhaps one cockpit for the pilots flying the plane and the other for supporting whatever they are launching?

I don't understand how the two tail sections will not start wagging the dog in front. Won't they eventually touch each other and cause the whole thing to break apart? It just seems too much to ask the wing to hold the entire thing together.

I'm also wondering if you can shimmy from one side to the other.

I don't fear the two tails touching, however torque on the main wing should one or more engines on one side fail would be huge.

Guess they have it all figured out.

i like to think they hit a button and the plane splits into two..and come back together into a sword wielding mega-bot. goes by StratomosPRIME. the two pilots mind meld to share the mental load.

(sorry..i'm tired)

Besides battling Emperor Zeppo from the Drule Empire, what is the purpose of this?

There is a rocket that goes between the two booms that launches things into space.

Matthew and George, it was designed by the same people that built White Knight 1 and 2 so they have some experience with two fuselages on an aircraft. The tails should not start wagging anything unless there were some significant design flaws as the vertical stabilizers work the same as feathers on a dart. They want to follow the lead.

I am sure there is some automation if there are engine(s) issues that minimize the loads on the center wing section.

I heard it's CIS.

The empenage is probably separate so an igniting rocket motor does not A. burn through it. B. put too much upsetting force upon it.

How much time do they have before the rocket goes vertical? How much time does it take for the aircraft to turn out from under the path of the rocket exhaust?

I am sure they don't toss it like the old B47 trick.

I'd have thought a twin-fuselage design would add drag, but the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_F-82_Twin_Mustang had exceptional range.

Rutan always gets to build the cool stuff...

Couldn't they pick up a surplus B-52 ?

And maybe a spare X-15?

http://static4.businessinsider.com/i...eing%20b52.jpg

or 2?

A friend of mine is one of their chief mechanical engineers. The scale of everything is massive, this is by many measures the largest airplane ever built.

Does he question that disjointed twin-tail config?

Strikes me as Rutan pushing quirky, just for the sake of being quirky.

But at least it's HUGE.