Scaled Composites

Scaled Composites was established in 1982 and purchased by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1985, as a result of the collaboration on the Starship project. In 1988, Beech's parent company, Raytheon, sold Scaled back to Rutan, who then sold it to Wyman-Gordon. After Wyman-Gordon was acquired by Precision Castparts Corp., Rutan and ten investors re-acquired the company as Scaled Composites, LLC. Northrop Grumman, a major shareholder in the company with a 40% stake, said it would acquire the company outright on July 20, 2007.{{Cite web|author = AIN staff|title=Northrop Grumman Seals Scaled Composites Deal|url=https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2007-08-28/northrop-grumman-seals-scaled-composites-deal|access-date=2020-08-18|website=Aviation International News }} Both companies said Northrop Grumman's acquisition would not affect Scaled Composites' strategy or involve replacing Burt Rutan as senior manager.{{cite web |url=http://www.shephard.co.uk/UVOnline/Default.aspx?Action=-187126550&ID=561258e2-3206-499e-95b6-61d601fc24a3Rutan's |title=MP-RTIP: Rutan To Get First Crack At Flight Test |access-date=December 7, 2006 |work=UVOnline.com |publisher=Shephard Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928005204/http://www.shephard.co.uk/UVOnline/Default.aspx?Action=-187126550&ID=561258e2-3206-499e-95b6-61d601fc24a3Rutan%27s |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} The acquisition by Northrop Grumman was completed on August 24, 2007.{{cite web | url=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070824/laf051.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707054341/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070824/laf051.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 7, 2012 | title =Northrop Grumman Completes Acquisition of Scaled Composites, LLC | access-date = August 25, 2007 }} Rutan retired in April 2011.{{cite web | url = http://www.scaled.com/images/uploads/news/Burt_Rutan_Announces_Retirement_Plans_03Nov10.pdf | title = Burt Rutan Announces Retirement Plans | access-date = July 10, 2011 }} Ben Diachun, a long time employee, was president of Scaled from Oct 31, 2015,{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/scaled-president-appointed-vp-of-advanced-design-at-418118/|title=Scaled president appointed VP of advanced design at Northrop|last=Drew|first=James|date=2015-10-23|website=FlightGlobal.com |access-date=2019-05-05|quote=Long-time Scaled vice-president of engineering, Ben Diachun, has been named to fill the vacancy of president effective 31 October}} until April 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://cleantechnica.com/2019/04/11/urban-air-mobility-startup-opener-hires-key-execs-for-future-blackfly-evtol/|title=Urban Air Mobility Startup Opener Hires Key Execs for Future Blackfly eVTOL|date=2019-04-11|website=CleanTechnica |access-date=2019-05-05|quote=Ben Diachun is an industry veteran and innovator who is also now Opener's President. Diachun comes from Scaled Composites and worked with the late Paul Allen on designing and flying the experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft SpaceShipOne.}}{{Cite press release|url=http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/04/02/1795136/0/en/OPENER-Names-Ben-Diachun-President.html|title=OPENER Names Ben Diachun President|date=2019-04-02|website=GlobeNewswire News Room|access-date=2019-05-05|quote=As OPENER's President, my goal is to take what has been accomplished by this amazing team to the next level, and successfully bring a safe and affordable flying vehicle to market.}} Cory Bird, another long-time employee, became president of Scaled in April 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=53919|title=Scaled Composites Announces Cory Bird as President|website=spaceref.com|date=April 8, 2019 |access-date=2019-05-05|quote=Monday, April 8, 2019. Scaled Composites has announced Cory Bird as the company's new president.}}

Before forming Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan had designed several aircraft for amateur builders, including the VariEze, often considered one of general aviation's most innovative designs.{{Cite book |last=Pattillo |first=Donald M. |title=The General Aviation Industry in America: A History, 2d ed. |publisher=McFarland |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-4766-7721-7 |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=141 }}{{Cite book |last=van der Linden |first=F. Robert |title=The Nation's Hangar: Aircraft Treasures of the Smithsonian |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |date=2011 |isbn=978-1-58834-316-1 |pages=173 }}

He also designed the Beechcraft Starship, which was a commercial failure. These aircraft were distinctive because of their canard configuration, winglets and pusher propellers.

In 2005, the single-jet GlobalFlyer was flown by billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett on the first solo non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world, and later in the longest flight in history: {{convert|41,467.53|km|mi|abbr=on}}. It had been designed by Rutan, with aerodynamics by John Roncz, and built by Scaled Composites.{{cite web |title=Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/virgin-atlantic-global-flyer/nasm_A20070018000 |website=National Air and Space Museum |publisher=Smithsonian |access-date=10 August 2024}} as the Model 311.

Although their role was not widely publicized, Rutan and Roncz, who had provided aerodynamics support to a number of previous Rutan projects including Starship, helped design, and Scaled Composites manufactured, the double slotted wing mast for the Stars & Stripes catamaran for Dennis Conner's entry in the 1988 America's Cup.[https://books.google.com/books?id=hQihT38DTvAC&pg=PA52 America's Cup 1988]

{{Main|Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne}}

File:Flight 16P taxi pre-launch photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg carries SpaceShipOne on Flight 16P September 29, 2004.]]

File:SS1Group01.jpg

The company announced in April 2003 that it was working on a privately funded spacecraft, in an attempt to win the Ansari X PRIZE for the first private crewed spaceflight. This experimental rocket-powered spacecraft was given the name SpaceShipOne. On December 17, 2003, they announced SpaceShipOne's first supersonic flight, the first flight of its kind by a privately funded aircraft. SpaceShipOne successfully made this flight, reaching {{convert|68000|ft|m}} and 930 mph (Mach 1.2). The craft was taken aloft by the White Knight carrier aircraft. On the same day, Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, confirmed publicly the rumors that he was the angel investor behind the SpaceShipOne venture.

On April 1, 2004, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the company what it called the world's first license for a sub-orbital crewed rocket flight.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4686400 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904143253/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4686400/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2016 |title=SpaceShipOne gets federal go-ahead |access-date=December 9, 2009 |work=NBC News |date=April 7, 2004 }} The license was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which has backed licenses for more than 150 commercial launches of uncrewed launch vehicles in its 20 years, but never a license for crewed flight on a sub-orbital trajectory. The Mojave Airport, operating part-time as Mojave Spaceport, is the launch point for SpaceShipOne. SpaceShipOne performed the first privately funded human spaceflight on June 21, 2004. Flight 16P on September 29, 2004, and Flight 17P on October 4, 2004, won the X-Prize for Scaled Composites and SpaceShipOne.

{{Main|Scaled Composites Stratolaunch}}

Scaled Composites Model 351 (nicknamed the "Roc") was built for Stratolaunch Systems to provide a platform from which air-launch space missions can be staged.{{cite web|url = http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/05/stratolaunch-orbital-air-launch/|title=Stratolaunch and Orbital – The Height of Air Launch |publisher= NASA | work = Space flight |date=May 24, 2013 |access-date= August 10, 2015}}

In August 2015, Scaled Composites president Kevin Mickey stated the company had so far assembled "roughly 200,000 pounds of composite structure" for the vehicle and if put on a football field, "its wingtips would extend beyond the goalposts by 15 feet on each side."{{cite web | date = 2016-08-04 |url= https://www.engadget.com/2015/08/04/largest-plane-in-the-world-stratolaunch-test-flights-2016/ |title= Largest plane in the world to perform test flights in 2016| first =Mariella | last = Moon |publisher=AOL|work= Engadget |access-date= August 10, 2015}}

Each of the twin fuselages of the aircraft is {{convert|238|ft|m}} long and is supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels. It requires 12,000 feet of runway to lift-off.{{cite web|url= http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/world-largest-plane-construction-calif-article-1.2131231|title=SEE IT: World's largest plane under construction in Calif.|work=NY Daily News|date=February 26, 2015 |access-date= August 10, 2015}}

Image:variviggen.jpg

Image:NOAA-Long-EZ.jpg

Burt Rutan created Rutan Aircraft Factory to market a commercial variation of his Model "VariViggen" prototype" he began building in his garage in 1968 which he called The Model 32, also known as the VariViggen SP. This model utilized a slightly longer fuselage, larger span and winglets in order to increase efficiency. Within 8 years after its founding, this company became one of the world's important aircraft design and prototyping companies.{{Cite book |last=Fisk |first=Peter |title=Creative Genius: An Innovation Guide for Business Leaders, Border Crossers and Game Changers |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |date=2011 |isbn=978-0-85708-023-3 |location=Hoboken, New Jersey }} The Rutan Aircraft Factory sold over 600 plan sets for the VariViggen to homebuilders, and eventually about 20 of the aircraft were built. Following the crash of one in New Brunswick, Canada, in September 2006 due to wing tank fuel contamination,{{cite web | date = 2006 | url = http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2006/a06a0092/a06a0092.asp | publisher = Transportation Safety Board | place = Canada | title = Aviation Investigation Report | id = A06A0092}} fewer than five are currently still flying. The prototype aircraft, N27VV, was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in 1988.

• Model 27 VariViggen (1972)
• Model 31 VariEze (1975)
• Model 32 VariViggen SP (1973)
• Model 33 VariEze (1976)
• Model 35 AD-1 (1979)
• Model 40/74 Defiant (1978)
• Model 54 Quickie (1978)
• Model 61 Long-EZ (1979)
• NASA AD-1 (1979)
• Model 68 AMSOIL Racer (1981)
• Model 73 NGT: Three-fifths scale model of Fairchild T-46 trainer (1981)
• Model 72 Grizzly (1982)
• Model 76 Voyager: First aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth non-refueled, non-stop (1986)
• Model 77 Solitaire (1982)
• Model 81 Catbird (1988) five-seat single-engine aircraft
• Model 202 Boomerang: (1996) Asymmetric 5 seat aircraft
• Model 437 Vanguard: multi-mission military demonstration aircraft with both manned and unmanned capabilitiesKnutsson, Kurt, "[https://www.foxnews.com/tech/new-multimission-military-warplane-takes-flight?dicbo=v2-k3ZE99s New multimission military warplane takes flight]", Fox News, 23 September 2024

File:Voyager aircraft.jpg|Model 76 Voyager

File:NASA-2000Starship.jpg|Beechcraft 2000 Starship, based upon the Model 115

File:JetZero blended wing body aircraft prototype concept art.jpg blended wing body aircraft project; 4-year contract awarded to JetZero in August 2023, will be built in collaboration with Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites]]

• US flight based testing and evaluation of the GippsAero GA8 Airvan manufactured by GippsAero of Victoria, Australia, including flight evaluation of the external belly cargo pod. {{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}
• Scaled Composites will work with JetZero in helping to develop a prototype blended wing body Z-5 demonstrator tanker aircraft Next Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) for the US Air Force.{{cite web | url=https://breakingdefense.com/2023/08/air-force-picks-startup-jetzero-to-build-blended-wing-body-demonstrator/ | title=Air Force picks startup JetZero to build blended wing body demonstrator | date=August 16, 2023 }}

• Stars & Stripes: The catamaran that formed Dennis Conner's American entry for the America's Cup yacht race (1988)
• Power Augmented Ram Landing Craft (PARLC): For the U.S. Navy
• General Motors Ultralite (1992)

• On July 26, 2007, an explosion occurred during testing of SpaceShipTwo's systems, killing three employees and injuring three more.{{Cite news|url=http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/3854|title=Fatal explosion at Mojave Airport}}
• On October 31, 2014, the SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise broke apart during an in-flight powered test. The incident killed one pilot and severely injured the other, resulting in the total loss of the vehicle; both pilots were Scaled Composites employees.Mojave Air and Space Port press conference on Friday 31 October 2014 at 2:00pm PDT – involving: the Spaceport, Scaled, Virgin Galactic, County Fire Department, Sheriff's Department{{cite web |url=http://www.virgingalactic.com/statement-from-virgin-galactic/ |title=Statement from Virgin Galactic 31.10.14 |author= |date=31 October 2014 |website=VirginGalactic.com |access-date=12 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114104554/http://www.virgingalactic.com/statement-from-virgin-galactic/ |archive-date=14 November 2014}} On July 28, 2015, the NTSB released the final report on its investigation of the incident, concluding that for an unknown reason the copilot had released the "Feather" of SpaceShipTwo prematurely, leading directly to the craft's disintegration.{{cite web|url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2800/1|title=The Space Review: A Failure of Foresight and Oversight|access-date=August 10, 2015}}

• NewSpace

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• [http://stargazer2006.online.fr Stargazer – The Ultimate Online Resource on Every Known Rutan Project]
• [http://www.aerofiles.com/_rutan.html Aerofiles data on various Rutan/Scaled projects]
• [http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=an%2F%22scaled+composites%22&d=ptxt Patents owned by Scaled Composites] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225161041/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=0&p=1&f=S&l=50&Query=an%2F%22scaled+composites%22&d=ptxt |date=February 25, 2021 }}
• [http://www.nenastran.com/newnoran/chPDF/CASE_SpaceShipOne.pdf SpaceShipOne Motor Bulkhead Case Study] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191528/http://www.nenastran.com/newnoran/chPDF/CASE_SpaceShipOne.pdf |date=March 3, 2016 }}

{{Scaled Composites}}

{{Northrop Grumman|state=autocollapse}}

{{The Spaceship Company}}

{{Space tourism}}

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Category:2007 mergers and acquisitions

Category:American companies established in 1982

Category:Companies based in Kern County, California

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Category:Private spaceflight companies

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Category:Technology companies established in 1982

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