Via a number of sources, ANN has learned that the next flight of SpaceShipOne is likely to be flown by Scaled's Brian Binnie.

Mike Melvill has reportedly explained that he will either be flying in White Knight or the Extra 300 close-chase plane.

Scaled's bio on Binnie notes that he is a Program Business Manager and Test Pilot at Scaled Composites. He has 21 years flight test experience including 20 years of Naval Service in the Strike-Fighter community. He has logged over 4600 hours of flight time in 59 different aircraft and is a licensed Airline Transport Pilot.

Brian’s educational background includes a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and an M.S. in Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics from Brown University and an M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, MD and the Naval Aviation Safety School at Monterey CA.

He is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a published member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Flight Test Experience:

• Scaled’s Model 318 White Knight
• Scaled’s Model 316 SpaceShipOne
• Roton Flight Test
• F/A-18 Electronic Warfare Suite Testing and Integration
• F/A-18 TSSAM Weapon Launch Envelope Expansion
• A-6E TSSAM Weapon Launch Envelope Expansion
• F/A-18 SLAM-ER Weapon Launch Envelope Expansion
• A-6E SLAM-ER Weapon Launch Envelope Expansion
• F/A-18 LEX Fence Performance Map
• F/A-18 ATARS Transonic Handling Evaluation
• A-7E Structural Flight Test Qualification Program
• F/A-18 KC-10 Wing Tip Refueling Pod Evaluation
• A-7E KC-10 Wing Tip Refueling Pod Evaluation
• F/A-18 F404 2nd Source (Pratt & Whitney vs GE) Engine Envelope Expansion
• F/A-18 Hi-Energy Nose Strut -T/Off and Landing Eval
• F/A-18 First LGB Weapon Delivery Using Self-Lasing FLIR

Other Related Experience:

• Completed for the ROTON: Hazard Analysis / Aircrew Checklists / Normal & Emergency Procedures
• Conducted Flight Test / Developed Operational Flight Procedures (Tactics) / Provided Fleet Training (1 to 5 day course) for F/A-18 and AV-8B EW Suites.
• Expanded curriculum to include Foreign Military Customers and provided in-country training to Finland, Malaysia and Italy
• Wrote all the operational checklist and provided the Fleet Tactics Manual for the TSSAM Weapon System
• Planned and executed the first (and only) radar chase of the Tomahawk cruise missile to demonstrate more effective surface fleet training
• Prepared and briefed the Australian Air Force on new Operational Flight Software for their F/A-18 aircraft

SpaceShipOne's second flight (X2) will take place Monday morning, October 4th. Expected flight timeline:

• Takeoff at 7am PT
• Ignition at 8am PT
• Landing at 8:30am PT
• Press Conference to announce official Altitude at 10:30am PT

FMI: www.xprize.org, www.scaled.com