SpaceShip One to Fly at Oshkosh

Aviation News Network - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 2005-04-01


SPACESHIP ONE TO FLY AT OSHKOSH

SpaceShip One, the world’s first successful civilian-built spaceship,
will fly into space at AirVenture 2005.

SpaceShip One twice flew into space with a pilot and ballast equal to
two passengers in September 2004, winning the Ten Million Dollar X
Prize. Plans had called for Mothership White Knight and SpaceShip One
to stop at AirVenture for public display prior to being put on display
at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

But in a startling change of plans, Designer Burt Rutan and EAA
President Tom Poberenzy announced that Spaceship One would make
another flight into space during AirVenture, this time with passengers
instead of ballast.

"Spaceship One will be piloted by Aviation Journalist, Publisher and
Test Pilot Jim "Captain Zoom" Campbell." announced Rutan. "The
passengers will be Campbell's close personal friends Chuck Yeager and
Bob Hoover."

"Yeager and Hoover were passed over in Astronaut selection 45 years
ago." said Poberenzy. "This trip into space is our way of making that
up to them."

Campbell, who reminds everyone that "We're a graduate of the National
Test Pilot School," will also be taking his first actual trip into
space.

"I'll pilot White Knight, since even Jim Campbell can't fly two
aircraft at the same time." said Mike Melvill, pilot of the SpaceShip
One's first flight into space. "We'll take off from Whitman field and
climb to nearly 50,000 feet before releasing SpaceShip One. Jim
Campbell will fire the rocket engine and pilot SpaceShip One to more
than 62 miles above the earth (328,000 feet) then glide back to land
at Whitman field."

"With our vast Pilot In Command experience we could simultaneously
pilot both White Knight and SpaceShip One easily." said and obviously
excited Campbell. "We have flown more than a thousand different
aircraft, yet we're still snubbed by those Guinness Book people, and
we're uniquely qualified for this important mission."

We plan to not only fly Spaceship One into space and return to the
runway at Whitman field, but we'll test the phugoid oscillations
during reentry." Campbell continued. "We'll make a low pass over
runway 36, rolling and looping in front of the crowd, then we'll make
a dead stick landing and coast right to the announcers stand just as
we taught our close personal friend Bob Hoover."

"We have worked as a test pilot, stunt pilot, flight instructor
(CFI/A/I/ME/H), you name it... We fly fixed wing, rotorcraft,
single/multi-engine, gliders, balloons, ultralights -- Did I tell you
that we're a former world ultralight record-holder -- jets, warbirds,
antiques... the works in our turbulent thirty plus years as a test
pilot." Campbell explained. "This mission will be even more
challenging than flying relief missions in Ethiopa or serving as
Bodyguard to then Governor Reagan. I've heard from many EAA members
and aviation enthusiasts about this flight, and I believe that they
are just as excited about this as we are."