Page 12 - Aerotech News and Review, January 7, 2022

MOJAVE, from 8
Taxiway Charlie work nearly a cockpit that was about the size of a test flights were made before the re- took off from Edwards AFB with Burt only 939 pounds. The gross weight
completed in 2021 phone booth. For those too young to cord breaking milestone flight, plus Rutan in the right seat calling out to on take-off from Edwards on Dec.
For several months pilots had to taxi remember phone booths, think of the a flight to Oshkosh, Wisc., to attend his brother, Dick, on the radio. It was 14 was 9,694.5-pounds. Voyager was
their aircraft on the tarmac where air- size of an airliner lavatory. the annual Experimental Aircraft As- always the calming voice of Mike Mel- equipped with two Teledyne-Conti-
plane tie-down parking spaces were The Voyager story is one of great sociation’s fly-in. Burt Rutan, famous vill during the dangerous test flights nental engines (front engine O-240,
located, while crews poured new con- emotion, courage, vision and adven- aircraft designer and CEO of Scaled that could calm the uncertainties felt 130hp and rear engine IOL-200, 110
crete. ture and is often referred to as “avia- Composites at Mojave Airport, created in the Voyager cockpit. hp), was a twin-boom, single wing
At the end of 2019, Rep. Kevin Mc- tion’s last first.” The aircraft and idea Voyager for maximum fuel efficiency. The circumnavigation flight was homebuilt aircraft designed for long-
Carthy announced that the Depart- of flying around the world non-stop Bruce Evans, Crew Chief and a host 26,366 statute miles, which more than distance flight and had 17 fuel tanks.
ment of Transportation approved an was first discussed over a lunch with of volunteers built this graceful design doubled the previous record set by a Editor’s note: For more Year in Re-
$8.6 million grant for the Mojave Air Jeana Yeager, and Burt and Dick Ru- at Mojave Airport. Ever present was
and Space Port through the Airport tan. Ever the engineer, Burt starting B-52 Bomber in 1962. This fragile view from the Mojave Air and Space
Improvement Program for 2020. The sketching his idea of the aircraft on a friend and pilot Mike Melvill who was looking aircraft, with a wingspan of Port, including photographs, visit
work didn’t begin until 2021. paper napkin. The rest is history. flying the chase plane when Voyager 110.8-feet, had an empty weight of www.aerotechnews.com.
The grant covered subgrade re- Primarily individual contributions,
work, as well as the repair of medium and a few product equipment sponsors,
severity cracks on taxiway C and the financed the Voyager. The project did
concrete/asphalt transition between not receive any government sponsor-
the taxiway and apron. Also, taxiway ship. On a wing and a dream, a small
edge lighting has been upgraded for group of people set out to achieve the
night flight operation safety. impossible — to fly around the world
Hangars that were placed close to without stopping and without refuel-
the taxiway back in 1972 were sched- ing. It was originally believed the
uled to be demolished, but the work project would take about 18 months.
has been delayed. Design, construction, flight route and
High winds on Dec. 30 blew several permissions, and testing stretched
of the hangar doors off — welcome to that 18 month projection to nearly six
Mojave! years. In early December of 1986, Voy-
Mojave Air and Space Port is look- ager was flown to Edwards Air Force
ing forward to 2022 with new firms Base in California. She was fueled for
choosing to begin flight test work here. hours and on Dec. 14, 1986, Voyager
took off on what would become The
Plane Crazy Saturday cele- World’s Longest Flight.
brates 35th anniversary of Epic Voyager made the extraordinary
Voyager flight first-ever non-stop, unrefueled flight,
On Dec. 18, at the MASP Event around the world with pilots Dick
Center, Dick Rutan gave a vivid de- Rutan and Jeana Yeager (no relation Photograph by Doug Shane
scription of the dangerous and long, to Chuck Yeager). This marked the The Voyager aircraft.
nine day journey, while cramped in 69th flight of Voyager. Numerous

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