Pioneering Aircraft

The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, also known as Model 311, is the world’s most efficient jet aeroplane. Designed by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan and built by his company, Scaled Composites, this aircraft was specifically made for non-stop, passenger-free, global circumnavigation by a solo pilot. It is a single-engine turbofan aircraft that has been described as a ‘fuel tank with room for one’.

The GlobalFlyer is incredibly light and made completely from composite materials. Its aerodynamics were designed using extremely sophisticated computer technology. The result is that it is able to fly 75% further than the recorded range of any other jet-powered plane. It’s amazingly aerodynamic design zooms through the air at 285mph (459kmph), but it makes stopping a difficult manoeuvre. This problem is solved by using drag parachutes that slow the aircraft down as it descends.

It is a trimaran design, with two enormous ‘booms’ on the wings either side of the main fuselage. The single Williams FJ44 – 3ATW engine, which provides 10,200 Newtons of thrust, is above the pressurised cockpit, which, at 7ft (2.1m) long, has just enough room for the pilot to lie down. It is equipped with a radio, satellite phone and email so that the pilot can keep in contact with the support crew at all times. There is also a back-up autopilot and a countdown timer, so he can grab five minutes sleep at a time.

The GlobalFlyer measures 44.1ft (13.5m) in length, is 13.3ft (4m) high and has a wingspan of 114ft (35m). When it’s empty, it weighs only 3,350lbs (1520kg), but once the fuel is on board and split between the 13 fuel tanks, it becomes a massive 22,000lbs (9980kg). On take-off, 83% of the plane’s weight is made up of fuel which makes leaving the ground a very tricky business. The pilot has to keep a close eye on the balance of the aircraft as the wings will only be about 18inches (45cm) off the ground.

Once in the air, the aircraft will fly at an altitude of around 45,000ft. During the flight the pilot must stay vigilant at all times to redistribute the fuel and maintain the balance of aircraft. The tanks aren’t filled with normal aviation fuel, but one that freezes at much lower temperatures.

Burt Rutan, GlobalFlyer’s designer, was also responsible for the SpaceShipOne rocket plane which won the ten million dollar Ansari X Prize in October 2004, setting a new record for sub-orbital flight. In 1986, his brother Dick and Jeana Yeager became the first people to circumnavigate the globe without stopping or refuelling in ‘Voyager’, which was also designed by Burt.