Two X-Racers Flown In One Day
Rocket Racing League (RRL) said
Wednesday it has reached a major milestones in the development of
the Rocket Racer, or X-Racer, the rocket-powered aircraft being
developed to compete in the Rocket Racing League. Test flights were
conducted at the North Texas Regional Airport (NTRA), marking the
first time in history where two private-sector manned
rocket-powered vehicles were flown sequentially in the same day by
one crew with common ground support equipment in the same
airspace.
"We are very pleased with these new achievements and solid
improvements in the deployment and operation of our X-Racer
vehicles," said Peter Diamandis, Chairman and Founder, Rocket
Racing League. "This is new technology, newly-developed engines,
and newly configured aircraft being flown for the first time in
different flight configurations."
The new X-Racers are the Mark-II X-Racer (N205MB) and Mark-III
X-Racer (N133XP). Mark-III is the latest generation vehicle,
modified during the manufacturing stage to serve as a rocket racer,
with canopy top, center seat, and center stick, among other
enhancements.
In a world first, RRL flew two X-Racers in one day. The test
flights were flown by X-Racer test pilots Len Fox, RRL Chief Pilot,
and Dave Morss, the League's newest test pilot. One ground crew and
one rocket service vehicle supported the test flights. The
milestone is important for the development of a two-vehicle
head-to-head style race format, which in its most streamlined
embodiment, will feature two Rocket Racers racing in parallel.
RRL is developing multiple vehicles and engines for the Racing
League. Currently, the company is conducting test flights utilizing
a highly modified Velocity XL FG airframe and a single
Armadillo Aerospace 2,500 pound thrust liquid oxygen (LOX)
and ethanol rocket engine. The X-Racer engine in flight emits a
10-15 foot-long flame and roar heard and felt for miles around.
Unlike a jet engine that burns oxygen from the atmosphere as its
oxidizer, the X-Racer carries its own oxidizer in the form of
liquid oxygen. In January, Armadillo turned over operations of
their new engine to RRL and RRL staff fielded the engine without
manufacture's support.
Spectators at events will view the flights and
Raceway-In-The-Sky in real-time on large projection screens fed by
a ground-based Augmented Reality System. The Rocket Racer pilots
view the RRL-developed Raceway-In-The-Sky with a custom Cockpit
Based Augmented Reality System projected onto a 3D helmet
display.
On April 24, 2010, the city of Tulsa and the Tulsa Air &
Space Museum will host the first annual QuikTrip Air & Rocket
Racing Show, which will feature exhibition flights by the Rocket
Racing League (RRL). The event will take place at the Tulsa Air
& Space Museum at the Tulsa International Airport on April 24,
2010.