Strange but true
We have all seen an airplane , right ? They have a recognizable appearance , two wings and one main body soaring overhead . Not in this case . The Stratolaunch Roc , an airplane designed to carry and aid in the launch of ALTO ( air launch to orbit ) rockets , has two fuselages and a wingspan longer than a football field . These factors combined make it the largest airplane in the world . It was designed by Paul Allen , the co-founder of Microsoft - however , he unfortunately passed before he had an opportunity to see the plane take flight . Two pilots , Chris Guarente and Evan Thomas crewed the first flight along with engineer Jake Riley . How might something like this fly ?
Surprisingly , even though the plane has two fuselages , the whole crew will only fly in the right fuselage , and the left one is completely automated . The plane is propelled by six jet engines and uses the same basic thrust and lift principles that other aircraft use .
The primary use of the vehicle is to “ serve as a mobile launch platform for hypersonic vehicles .” ( Wall ) This means that this aircraft can move and launch vehicles that can move faster than the speed of sound . The Stratolaunch Roc is not the only hypersonic aircraft that Stratolaunch is developing but it is currently the primary vehicle and is undergoing thorough test flights to ensure its readiness for actual trips .
A plane with these capabilities must have a name to represent this , right ? The Stratolaunch Roc is no exception . It was named after the Roc , a mythical bird capable of hauling away animals much larger than usual . The bird was also famous for being massive , so the name is very fitting for the aircraft .
Does this giant plane have any purpose other than transporting other vehicles , though ? It does look like it would be a terrific way of transporting larger groups of people quickly , but the truth is that the aircraft is only good at its designated purpose , moving other aircraft .
14 LET ’ S GO AEROSPACE