I haven't done a "This Day in Aviation" post in a few days, so here's one!
On February 28th, 1998, the RQ-4 "Global Hawk" made its first flight.
The Global Hawk is the main UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) of the armed forces, utilized by both the Navy and Air Force.
 |
| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NASA_Dryden_Global_Hawk.jpg |
Some of the stats from the Global Hawk:
- Length: 44 ft 5 in (13.54 m)
- Wingspan: 116 ft 2 in (35.41 m)
- Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
- Empty weight: 8,490 lb (3,851 kg)
- Gross weight: 22,900 lb (10,387 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Allison Rolls-Royce AE3007H turbofan engine, 7,050 lbf (31.4 kN) thrust
Performance
- Maximum speed: 497.1 mph (800.0 km/h; 432.0 kn)
- Cruise speed: 404 mph (351 kn; 650 km/h)
- Range: 15,525 mi (13,491 nmi; 24,985 km)
- Endurance: 36 hours
- Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,812 m)
So, what is so impressive (and perhaps disturbing) about the Global Hawk?
It is approved by the FAA to file its own flight plans!
This calls into question the role of pilots in the cockpit.
Will we ever see an end to the pilot era?
I address (well, speculate on) this question in another post.
