‘Flying Fuel Tank’ Tests New Equipment for Record Attempt

Voyager, the “flying fuel tank” designed to travel around the world without refueling, made a 2-hour, 20-minute test flight Friday, the first since a broken propeller forced an emergency landing on another test on Sept. 30.

Pilots Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager postponed a planned second flight until today because of rising winds in the afternoon.

Friday’s flight was designed primarily to test the new aluminum propellers, which are thought to be much stronger than the previous wooden ones, said spokesman Peter Riva. The flight also tested some new mechanical and electronic engine controls installed on the aircraft.

Friday’s flight was designed to test the aircraft’s flight characteristics with its 17 fuel tanks practically empty. More fuel will be added on each successive test flight until the craft reaches its full weight of about 12,000 pounds. The craft itself weighs 939 pounds.

The pilots plan to make as many as nine more flights before they begin their 27,750-mile circumnavigation of the globe. Rutan and Yeager had hoped to make their 12-day flight this month, while wind and weather conditions around the world are relatively mild.

But the six-week delay in their tests caused by the broken propeller has greatly reduced their chances of making the flight this year. Further delays would necessitate postponing the attempt until next spring, and perhaps even to next November, Riva said.