Rutan 348 White Knight Two
White Knight Two is the twin-fuselage carrier aircraft built to launch Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo spaceplane. Its two cabins, joined by a huge central wing, let the crew carry the spaceplane to high altitude before release. The aircraft was designed by Scaled Composites and first flew in 2008. Its unusual role makes it both an aircraft and part of a reusable space-launch system, and its twin-fuselage silhouette is among the most distinctive in modern aviation.
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Did you know?
White Knight Two's twin-fuselage design carries Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo between its two cabins, one of aviation's most distinctive silhouettes.
Specifications
| Length | 24 m (79 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 42.7 m (140 ft) |
| Height | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Range | 1,800 NM (3,334 km) |
| Maximum speed | 300 kt (556 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 50,000 ft (15,240 m) |
| Engines | 4x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A |
| Units built | 1 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Rutan 348 White Knight Two starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Rutan, the 348 White Knight Two family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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