View source for Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer

{{short description|Airplane}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer
|image =  File:Globalflyer landing cropped.jpg
|caption = GlobalFlyer arriving at the [[Kennedy Space Center]]
|type           = Long-range aircraft for record attempt
|manufacturer   = [[Scaled Composites]]
|designer       = [[Burt Rutan]] 
|first_flight   = 2005
|introduction   = 
|retired        = March 17, 2006 
|status         = retired 
|primary_user   = [[Steve Fossett]]
|more_users     = 
|produced       = 
|number_built   = 1
|unit cost      = 
|developed_from = 
|other_names          = 
|construction_number  = 
|construction_date    = 
|civil_registration   = N277SF 
|flights              = 
|total_hours          = 
|total_distance       = 
|fate                 = 
|preservation         = [[National Air and Space Museum]] [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]]<ref name=NASM>{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/virgin-atlantic-global-flyer/nasm_A20070018000|publisher=National Air & Space Museum|title=Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer|access-date=23 May 2021}}</ref>
}}

<!--  Commented out: [[File:311-1-BurtSignedSketch 200width.jpg|thumb|right|The initial "napkin" sketch of the aircraft by Burt Rutan]] -->
The '''Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer''' ([[Aircraft registration|registered]] N277SF) is an aircraft designed by [[Burt Rutan]] in which [[Steve Fossett]] first flew a solo nonstop airplane flight around the world in slightly more than 67 hours (2 days 19 hours) in 2005. The flight speed of {{convert|342|mph|km/h}} set the world record for the fastest nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation, beating the mark set by the previous Rutan-designed [[Rutan Voyager|Voyager]] aircraft at 9 days 3 minutes with an average speed of {{convert|116|mph|km/h}}.

The aircraft was owned by the pilot [[Steve Fossett]], sponsored by [[Richard Branson]]'s [[Virgin Atlantic]] airline, and built by Burt Rutan's company, [[Scaled Composites]]. The two companies subsequently worked together on [[Virgin Galactic]].

In February 2006, Fossett flew the GlobalFlyer for the longest aircraft flight distance in history: {{convert|25766|miles}}.

==Design and construction==
[[File:Virgin-globalflyer-040408-06cr.jpg|thumb|The GlobalFlyer has twin tail booms and a single  [[Williams International FJ44|FJ44]] jet over the short fuselage.]]

The GlobalFlyer was specifically designed to make an uninterrupted (non-refueled) circumnavigation of the globe with a single pilot. Unusual for a modern civil aircraft, the GlobalFlyer has only a single jet engine.

The GlobalFlyer has twin tail booms mounted outboard of a shorter central fuselage [[nacelle]]. The pressurized [[Cockpit (aviation)|cockpit]] is located in the front of the fuselage and provides {{convert|7|ft|m}} of space in which the [[Aviator|pilot]] sits. The single [[turbofan]] engine is mounted in an unusual position above the fuselage at a point several [[Foot (length)|feet]] behind the [[Cockpit (aviation)|cockpit]], a similar arrangement to that on the [[Heinkel He 162]] and [[Cirrus Vision SF50]]. The outboard booms contain large fuel tanks and end in tail surfaces, which are not cross-connected.

The aircraft is constructed of [[carbon fiber reinforced plastic]], the main structural member being a high-[[aspect-ratio]] single-spar [[wing]] of {{convert|114|ft|m|adj=on}} span. The wings are made of high-strength [[composite material]]s with the skin of the aircraft being a graphite/epoxy and [[Aramid]] honeycomb. The use of lightweight materials permits the fuel (in 13 tanks) to compose 83% of the take-off weight.

The aircraft had an estimated [[lift-to-drag ratio]] of 37.<ref>David Noland, "Steve Fossett and Burt Rutan's Ultimate Solo: Behind the Scenes", ''Popular Mechanics'', Feb. 2005 ([http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1262012.html?page=3 web version] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211202755/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1262012.html?page=3|date=11 December 2006}}).</ref> The [[aerodynamic]] drag is so low that, even with the engine idling, the aircraft can only descend at a maximum of {{convert|700|ft/min|m/s}}. Twin [[drogue parachute]]s were used to slow the GlobalFlyer to landing speeds.

The earlier Voyager aircraft structure had been by necessity built so lightly that it significantly deflected under aerodynamic loading. Learning from this experience, Rutan designed the GlobalFlyer to have greater [[stiffness]]. A design using a single jet engine was chosen for the GlobalFlyer for increased reliability over piston engines and faster circumnavigation for the solo pilot.

The GlobalFlyer is designed to operate at high altitudes, where the air is colder, yet in-tank fuel heaters were not included in its design. There was some concern that the fuel might freeze if the aircraft used standard jet fuel. Therefore, the GlobalFlyer's [[Williams International FJ44]]-3 ATW turbofan (which normally takes [[Jet fuel|Jet-A]] fuel), was re-calibrated to burn [[JP-4]], which has a substantially lower freezing point.

==First solo nonstop circumnavigation==
[[File:First solo non-stop round-the-world - route.png|thumb|First solo non-stop round-the-world route]]

In January 2005, following solo test flights at [[Mojave, California]], by Chief Engineer Jon Karkow and pilot [[Steve Fossett]], Fossett moved the GlobalFlyer to the [[Salina Municipal Airport]] in [[Salina, Kansas]], where a recently resurfaced runway of {{convert|12,300|ft|m}} would accommodate the anticipated long takeoff roll. The circumnavigation attempt was delayed until 28 February 2005 to obtain a weather forecast with low turbulence for the fragile GlobalFlyer and good tailwinds.

Mission Control was at the [[Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus|Salina campus of Kansas State University]], located adjacent to the Salina Municipal Airport.

A tailwind was essential to making the {{convert|36787.559|km|mi|order=flip}} that it needed to fly to meet the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]]’s definition of circumnavigation, the length of the [[Tropic of Cancer]]. The GlobalFlyer was designed to complete the circumnavigation with minimal reserves of fuel. As it turned out, a design flaw in the fuel venting system resulted in the loss of about {{convert|1,200|kg|lb|abbr=on|order=flip}} of fuel early in the flight. This forced Fossett and Mission Control to consider terminating the flight as it reached the [[Pacific Ocean]] near Japan. Fossett chose to delay the final decision until he reached Hawaii. By that time, favorable winds encouraged the mission team to attempt to complete the circumnavigation.

GlobalFlyer landed at Salina at 19:50 [[UTC]] (13:50 [[Central Standard Time Zone|CST]]) on 3 March 2005, having completed its circumnavigation in 2 days, 19 hours, 1 minute and 46 seconds. {{as of|2019}}, this is the fastest world trip in its class at a speed of {{convert|342.|mph|km/h}}.<ref>[http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=10897 FAI Record ID #10897 - Speed around the world, non-stop and non-refuelled] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623233739/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=10897|date=23 June 2015}} ''[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] (FAI).'' Retrieved: 18 September 2014.</ref> The distance flown was determined to be {{convert|36912|km|mi|order=flip}}, only {{convert|125|km|mi|order=flip}} above the minimum distance required.

==Longest distance aircraft flight (2006)==
[[File:Steve Fossett in GlobalFlyer cockpit.jpg|thumb|[[Steve Fossett]] in the GlobalFlyer cockpit]]

Fossett planned a second circumnavigation in the GlobalFlyer in 2006, this time taking off from the [[Kennedy Space Center]] in [[Florida]], flying eastbound around the world then crossing the Atlantic a second time and then landing at [[Manston Airport]] in [[Kent]], England.

The objective was to break the Absolute Distance Without Landing Record for airplanes and to exceed the longest distance by any kind of aircraft which was achieved by the [[Breitling Orbiter|Round the World Balloon flight]] of [[Bertrand Piccard]] and [[Brian Jones (aeronaut)|Brian Jones]] in 1999.

On 8 February 2006 at 12:22 UTC, GlobalFlyer took off and flew eastbound from Kennedy Space Center, and landed after 76 hours, 45 minutes with an official distance of {{convert|25,766|mi|km}}.<ref>[http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13083 FAI Record ID #13083 - Distance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305073836/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13083|date=5 March 2016}} ''FAI.'' Retrieved: 18 September 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13081 FAI Record ID #13081 - Distance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017205235/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13081|date=17 October 2014}} ''FAI.'' Retrieved: 18 September 2014.</ref>

This distance set a new record for the longest aircraft flight in history, breaking the old records of {{convert|24,987|mi|km}} in an airplane and {{convert|25,360|mi|km}} in a balloon. The landing was made at [[Bournemouth Airport]], England (short of the planned destination at Kent), because of a generator failure at {{convert|40000|ft|m}}. Generator failure meant that Fossett had about 25 minutes until his batteries were exhausted, when he would have lost all electrical power. To add to the drama, ice on the inside of the canopy made vision difficult, with his landing being made virtually blind; one tire was flat from the takeoff roll and the remaining main tire burst on touchdown due to frozen brakes; and the fuel remaining was indicated to be only {{convert|200|lb|abbr=on}}.

The aircraft survived the landing, with minor damage including a broken aileron hinge and a jammed intake valve.

==Closed-circuit distance flight and retirement==
[[File:Scaled Composites Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer ‘N277SF’ (51219806695).jpg|thumb|GlobalFlyer at the [[Udvar-Hazy Center]] in 2018]]

Fossett flew the GlobalFlyer to one more major aviation record: the absolute distance over a closed circuit. A closed-circuit record must take off and land at the same place, and the distance is measured over verifiable waypoints. [[Dick Rutan]] and [[Jeana Yeager]] had already flown the [[Rutan Voyager|Voyager]] around the world in 1986, so a longer closed circuit course was needed to break their record. Fossett started in [[Salina, Kansas]], on March 14, 2006, and flew eastbound around the world. Upon leaving [[Japan]], he flew south and then tracked along the [[Equator]] in order to maximize the distance while crossing the [[Pacific Ocean]]. He landed in Salina on March 17 after traversing a total of {{convert|25,294|mi|km}} to set a new absolute distance over a closed circuit record.<ref>[http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13236 FAI Record ID #13236 - Distance over a closed course] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803130727/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=13236|date=3 August 2017}} ''FAI''. Retrieved 18 September 2014.</ref>

With this final record, the GlobalFlyer had set three of the seven absolute world records of airplanes as ratified by the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]]. The GlobalFlyer is now on permanent display at the [[Smithsonian Institution]] National Air and Space Museum [[Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center]].<ref name=NASM/>

==Specifications==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|capacity=
|length m=13.44
|span m=34.75
|height m=4.05
|wing area sqm=37.16
|aspect ratio=32.6
|airfoil=<!-- sailplanes -->
|empty weight kg=1678
|gross weight kg=10024
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Williams FJ44]]-2
|eng1 type=turbofan
|eng1 kn=11.01
|max speed kmh=551
|cruise speed kmh=<!-- if max speed unknown -->
|cruise speed mph=<!-- if max speed unknown -->
|stall speed kmh=<!-- aerobatic and STOL aircraft -->
|stall speed mph=<!-- aerobatic and STOL aircraft -->
|range km=35,188
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=15,444
|glide ratio=37
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
}}

==See also==
* [[Concorde]] holds the fastest refuelled circumnavigation

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons|GlobalFlyer}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080229020252/http://www.scaled.com/index.html Scaled Composites home page]
* [https://www.scaled.com/portfolio/globalflyer/ SC Global Flyer page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305092830/http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/ GlobalFlyer Live Flight Tracking (archived)]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4304179.stm "Fossett launches record attempt"], [[BBC News]] &ndash; March 1, 2005
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070814164819/http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/1262012.html?page=1 "Steve Fossett and Burt Rutan's Ultimate Solo: Behind the Scenes" (archived)] (from ''Popular Mechanics'')
* [http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A20070018000 GlobalFlyer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301020550/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A20070018000 |date=2015-03-01 }} at [[National Air and Space Museum]]

{{Scaled Composites}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virgin Atlantic Globalflyer}}
[[Category:2000s United States experimental aircraft]]
[[Category:Scaled Composites]]
[[Category:Twin-boom aircraft]]
[[Category:Individual aircraft in the Smithsonian Institution]]
[[Category:Rutan aircraft]]
[[Category:Virgin Atlantic]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 2005]]
[[Category:Single-engined jet aircraft]]