Virgin Atlantic unveils the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer

Virgin Atlantic today unveiled the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer aircraft in the Mojave Desert, California, the home of aviation record-setting for over half a century. This radical aircraft will be piloted by Steve Fossett later this year in his attempt to break the last great aviation record by attempting the first solo non-stop flight around the world.

The pioneering aircraft has been designed by aviation legend Burt Rutan. The unveiling is the latest milestone following years of design and construction and also marks the beginning of an exciting phase of flight testing. 

Built by Scaled Composites, it is a single pilot, single engine turbofan aircraft designed for non-stop global circumnavigation. Scaled used computer aided aerodynamics to design the aircraft. The structure of the plane is entirely made from composite material and will be ultra light. The aircraft can carry more than four times its own weight in fuel - enough to power the specially designed Williams FJ44-3 for the entire flight. At the start of the flight the plane will weigh 22,006 lbs, and less than 80 hours and 23,000 miles later, it will have shed 18,000 lbs of fuel to land at its dry weight of a little under 4000 lbs.

The aircraft will fly at 45,000ft and travel 40,000 km at speeds in excess of 250 knots (285 mph, 440 kph). The aircraft will fly 75% further than the range record for jet-powered planes.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, said:

"It is fantastic to see this unique and experimental aircraft in all its glory. Flying solo, non-stop around the world has been a dream of Steve's for some time, and Virgin Atlantic is proud and delighted to help turn this ambition into reality."

Steve Fossett, pilot, said:

"I am truly impressed looking at this amazing and beautiful plane. Burt Rutan's team at Scaled have turned a dream into engineering reality and it's great to be working with my former ballooning partner, Richard Branson, again. Richard and Virgin Atlantic are true record-setting pioneers and they understand what this project is all about - setting the most ambitious goals and meeting the most extraordinary challenges."

For this record attempt the aircraft will be piloted by Steve Fossett, legendary aviator, sailor and record breaker who was also Richard Branson's partner in his last global ballooning record attempt. Richard Branson will be the reserve pilot. The record attempt is due to take off from a central US location and is scheduled to take place this year. It is hoped the attempt will be successfully completed within 80 hours.

Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, commented:

"The unveiling of this aircraft signals the beginning of the next exciting phase of this record attempt - the flight testing. Scaled Composites has a number of highly experienced pilots who will be testing every aspect of the aircraft to ensure it is both safe and capable of circumnavigating the earth without stopping or refuelling.

"The project team have also been progressing on a number of other parts of the record attempt including the launch airport, fine-tuning of the route and location of mission control. We hope to be able to announce these details in the coming weeks.

"Virgin Atlantic is delighted to be part of this historic and exciting project designed to set the first great aviation record of this century. The manufacturers of the plane and the engine will create unique data on improving future aircraft efficiency helping in the development of more fuel efficient commercial aircraft."

Steve Fossett, pilot, commented:

"I can't wait to get behind the controls of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer during its testing programme. In the meantime I am aiming to set another world record for the fastest time sailing around the world. I am due to set off on this attempt any time from now.

"I would also really like to thank Burt and his team for all their hard work so far building this magnificent aircraft."

A dedicated web site - www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com - will provide details of the project. It will give updates on its progress over the coming months and will provide an unprecedented level of live coverage of the record attempt during the flight itself. The site is being designed and managed by Conchango and hosted by Energis.

Mike Altendorf, joint managing director at Conchango explained more about the website:

"The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer website will be constantly updated, host live broadcast events with the GlobalFlyer team and provide innovative tracking capabilities, competitions and other unique interactive features. We look forward to seeing how far we can stretch the latest technologies to provide a website that is as groundbreaking and innovative as the record attempt itself."

Steve Fossett is well known for his record-breaking adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders and powered aircraft. He is a pilot with exceptional breadth of experience - from his tenacious quest to become the first person to achieve a solo balloon flight around the world (finally succeeding on his 6th attempt in 2002) to setting, with co-pilot Terry Delore, nine of the 19 Glider Open records, including the first 2,000 km Out-and-Return and the first 1,500 km Triangle flights. His achievements as a jet pilot for Cessna in a Citation X include records for U.S. Transcontinental, Australia Transcontinental, and Round-the-World Westbound non-supersonic flights. In 2002 Fossett received aviation's highest award, the Gold Medal of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).

Sir Richard Branson, who will follow the flight in the support aircraft, has his own history of accomplishments. In addition to his spectacular successes in the music, telecommunications, and airline industries (including Virgin Records, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Blue), Branson's taste for adventure led him in 1986 to set the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in his boat Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. In 1987, the Virgin Atlantic Flyer, with Branson at the controls, became the first hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic. Branson achieved the other great oceanic challenge in 1991, crossing the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Arctic Canada, again breaking all existing records with speeds of up to 245 mph in a balloon measuring 2.6 million cubic feet. In the late 1990s, Branson and Fossett began a spirited competition to become the first to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. They eventually joined forces but were not able to achieve the feat. In 2002 Fossett succeeded in a solo attempt.