Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Scaled Composites White Knight

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
First flight
  
August 1, 2002

Designer
  
Burt Rutan

Manufacturer
  
Scaled Composites

Scaled Composites White Knight Scaled Composites 318 White Knight Untitled Aviation Photo

Scaled composites white knight two


The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight (now also called White Knight One) is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. It was developed by Scaled Composites as part of its Tier One program. The aircraft was subsequently offered by Scaled on a contract basis as a research testbed, and was used for drop tests of the Boeing X-37 spaceplane from June 2005 until April 2006. It is also the predecessor to White Knight Two.

Contents

Design and development

The Scaled Composites model number for White Knight is 318. White Knight is registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as N318SL.

The White Knight carrier airplane was designed around the twin afterburning J-85 engines, which were selected for their availability and low cost. The aircraft was a completely new independent design. White Knight and SpaceShipOne shared the same forward fuselage outer mold line (OML) to reduce development costs and with the original intent to allow for White Knight to act as a flying simulator for training SpaceShipOne pilots. White Knight first flew on August 1, 2002. The flight was aborted shortly after takeoff due to a problem with the outboard wing spoilers. These trailing edge spoilers were designed to greatly increase the glide slope so that the White Knight vehicle could act as a flying simulator for training of SpaceShipOne pilots. During the first flight, the mechanical over-center torque was insufficient to maintain the spoilers in the closed position. The spoilers deployed into the free stream and began a limit cycle forcing the pilot (Mike Melvill) to abort. The spoilers were subsequently disabled completely and the desire for a steep glide slope matching SpaceShipOne was abandoned.

Scaled Composites White Knight httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

White Knight next flew on August 5, 2002, and this time performed well. Development proceeded over the next few months. With White Knight developed and evaluated, on April 18, 2003, White Knight and SpaceShipOne were presented to the media.

Scaled Composites White Knight Scaled Composites Model318 White Knight Photos AirplanePicturesnet

Subsequently, White Knight flew as part of the Tier One program that won the Ansari X Prize on October 4, 2004.

Scaled Composites White Knight Scaled Composites White Knight Two Wikipedia

Afterwards, White Knight was used to carry and launch DARPA's experimental X-37 spaceplane for its approach and landing tests in 2005 and 2006.

It was followed up by the White Knight Two, which has a similar but larger design.

SpaceShipOne program

Flights of White Knight are numbered, starting with flight 1 on August 1, 2002. Flights where SpaceShipOne was carried also get one or two appended letters. An appended "C" indicates that the flight was a captive carry, and "L" indicates that SpaceShipOne was launched. If the flight actually flown differs in category from the intended flight, then two letters are appended, the first giving the intended mission and the second the mission actually performed.

X-37 test program

White Knight was contracted to perform both captive carry and drop test flights of the DARPA/Boeing X-37. First captive carry flight was on June 21, 2005, and first drop was on April 7, 2006 (the X-37 was subsequently damaged on landing at Edwards AFB). Initially, the flights originated from Mojave, but following the landing incident, the program was moved to Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and at least five subsequent flights were made there.

Adaptive Compliant Wing test program

In late 2006, White Knight flew a seven-flight test program of the Adaptive Compliant Wing developed by FlexSys Inc with funding by the Air Force Research Laboratory. A laminar flow test article was mounted vertically under White Knight's centerline pylon for the 20-flight-hour research program that tested the flexible wing's aerodynamic characteristics.

Retirement to museum

In July 2014 White Knight made its final planned flight, arriving at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to become part of the Flying Heritage Collection.

Specifications

Data from Scaled Composites

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Capacity: 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) payload
  • Wingspan: 82 ft 0 in (25 m)
  • Fuel capacity: 6,400 lb (2,900 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J85-GE-5 after-burning turbojet, 2,400 lbf (11 kN) thrust each dry, 3,600 lbf (16 kN) with afterburner

    • Performance

  • Service ceiling: 52,000 ft (16,000 m) +

    • Other features and capabilities

  • Carriage and launch of payloads up to 7,000 lbs
  • Altitude capability above 53,000 ft
  • Large, three-place cabin (60-inch diameter outside, 59-inch inside)
  • Sea level cabin qualified for unlimited altitude
  • ECS scrubs CO2, removes humidity and defogs windows
  • Two crew doors with dual seals and dual-pane windows
  • Manual flight controls with three-axis electric trim
  • Avionics include INS-GPS navigator, flight-director, flight test data (recording and T/M), air-data, vehicle health monitoring, backup flight instruments, and video system
  • The 82 ft wing can be extended to 93 ft for increased climb capability
  • Super-effective, pneumatic speed brakes allow steep descent with L/D < 4.5
  • Hydraulic wheel brakes and nose-gear steering
  • Pneumatic main gear retraction
  • Dual-bus electrical power system
  • Cockpit allows single-pilot operation (VMC-day conditions only)

    • References

    Scaled Composites White Knight Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


    Similar Topics