SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Business -- Rocket plane makes Rutan, SpaceDev proud: "By Bruce V. Bigelow
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 18, 2003
On a day when America observed the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, a renowned aircraft designer claimed his own milestone in the skies above Mojave Airport.
In its first powered test flight, a rocket plane designed by Burt Rutan broke the sound barrier yesterday during a 60-degree climb that lasted 15 seconds. The stubby, delta-winged craft called SpaceShipOne ignited its engine after it was released by a mother ship at an altitude of 48,000 feet.
As Rutan's rocket plane reached near-weightlessness at 68,000 feet � the highest point of its flight � ground observers heard test pilot Brian Binnie exclaim over the radio, 'Wow! That was a wild ride!'
The flight also was a milestone for SpaceDev, a small Poway company that developed key components for the SpaceShipOne rocket motor. "
snip