Page 6 - Aerotech News and Review, September 18, 2020

Mike Melvill, a notable test pilot

by Cathy Hansen Sally, in Scotland in 1961. Sally was prototype, a high performance 5 place
special to Aerotech News 17 and Mike was 19 when they eloped. general aviation aircraft.
They immigrated to the United States in • First flight of the Model 120 Preda-
Mike Melvill, America’s first com- 1967 and settled in Indiana. tor prototype, a high performance crop
mercial astronaut, is the only test pilot In 1969, Mike earned his pilot’s li- duster.
I know of that rode on top of an airplane cense and in 1974 he purchased a set of • First flight of the Model 144 proto-
as a test pilot. VariViggen plans. type, ultimately flown as a UAV.
In April 1993, Mike Melvill climbed This unique plane was designed by • First in flight firing of the GAU-
on top of a makeshift seat mounted to a man named Burt Rutan. Mike said 12/U25mm cannon in the Model 151
the Raptor UAV (Unmanned Aerial that he had no idea who Burt Rutan ARES jet fighter.
Vehicle) and took flight. Initially this was when he bought this set of aircraft • First flight of the Model 202 Boo-
aircraft was not built to be an option- plans, but he was the first individual merang, Burt’s unconventional high
ally manned UAV. to complete one of these aircraft, with performance twin.
According to Scaled Composites help from his wife Sally and both of • First flight of the Model 226 Rap-
website, Raptor was a very early high- his boys. Sally got her pilot’s license in tor, later flown as an RPV, April 1993.
altitude UAV meant as a platform for 1977, and they both hopped into their • First flight of the Model 281 Prote-
testing the technology to detect short- newly completed homemade aircraft, us, a high altitude research twin engine
range ballistic missiles and neutralize and flew it from Anderson, Ind., to jet. July 26, 1998.
them. Mojave, Calif., where Burt Rutan had • First flight of the Model 316 Space-
In 1992, UAV technology was still a small company, called The Rutan Air- ShipOne.
being vetted, so having a safety pilot craft Factory.
ride onboard was a way to protect the Burt had built his own prototype Other notable programs and ac-
customer’s investment. Recognizing VariViggen, but had not seen another complishments
this risk early on, the budget allowed like it until he saw Mike and Sally’s. • Beech Starship prototype (NGBA)
for two vehicle builds, so when the Burt asked to fly it, and after he had • Fairchild’s Next Generation Trainer Courtesy photograph
first demonstrator crashed during an done so, offered both Sally and Mike a for the U.S. Air Force (NGT) Mike Melvill and Burt Rutan.
• ARES, a single engine, ground sup-
port jet fighter.
• Pond Racer, a twin engine racing ASEL, AMEL, instrument airplane, with Melvill in the Experimental Air-
plane, designed to break the unlimited Rotorcraft-helicopter and Glider. craft Association Friendship Tour in
piston powered world speed record. 1997.
• He is the only person to have flown Personally built and flight
in the Voyager Aircraft besides Dick tested: Mike Melvill is one of the most ac-
Rutan and Jeana Yeager. • Model 27 Variviggen complished civilian test pilots around.
• Total flight time: 6,950 hours in 127 • Model 61 Long-EZ He still owns and flies his Long EZ and
fixed-wing and 11 helicopters • Flew his Long-EZ around the world a Pitts bi-plane. Mike and Sally are still
• Holds FAA Commercial certificate, — Dick Rutan flew his Long EZ along active and enjoying life.

Courtesy photograph
Mike Melvill celebrates following the successful SpaceShipOne flight.

unmanned flight, the second demonstra- job at his company, nearly 2,000 miles
tor took its first flight within six months from where they lived.
of the loss. They accepted his offer, sold their
Raptor ultimately met the goals of the home in Indiana, and set off in two cars
program and was transferred to NASA to drive to the High Desert in Califor-
under the ERAST program, where it nia. Mojave is located only 15 miles
functioned as a high-altitude test bed. from Edwards Air Force Base, which
Upon completion of that research, Rap- was and is the flight testing hub in the
tor was donated to the Flight Test Mu- United States for the U.S. Air Force.
seum at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Mike then returned to Indiana with
This high altitude, long endurance his youngest son Keith, and together
UAV program began with a contract they flew the VariViggen across the
award from Lawrence Livermore Na- country to Mojave. Courtesy photograph
tional Laboratory on June 5, 1992. Mike and Sally worked for Burt Mike Melvill sits on top of a Raptor unmanned aerial vehicle in April 1993.
Melvill is most famous for his flight Rutan for 32 years and Mike became
test work at Scaled Composites with the test pilot for all of the different air-
SpaceShipOne, designed by Burt Rutan. craft Burt designed over the years. He
Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its was vice president/general manager of
first flight past the edge of space, flight Scaled Composites and chief test pilot
15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming before his retirement in 2007.
the first commercial astronaut and the
435th person to go into space. He was Some of Melvill’s test flight
also the pilot on SpaceShipOne’s flight experience
16P, the first competitive flight in the • First flight of the Model 72 Grizzly
Ansari X Prize $10-million competi- prototype, a short take-off and landing
tion. bush plane on Jan. 22, 1982.
• First flight of the Model 77 Solitaire
Immigration from South Africa prototype, a self-launching single place
Melvill moved from South Africa to sailplane. Proteus is a tandem-wing High-Altitude Long Endurance
England in 1960 and married his wife, • First flight of the Model 81 Catbird aircraft. ARES is a single engine, ground support jet fighter.

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