What It’s Like to Fly the World’s Largest Airplane

Stratolaunch’s chief pilot reveals Roc ’s fascinating flight dynamics and what’s next for the historic, twin-fuselage jet.

Thom Patterson

Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 09:16 AM ET

Verified

Stratolaunch Director of Flight Operations Evan Thomas, left, and co-pilot Mark “Gidro” Giddings bank right during Roc’s second flight. Courtesy: Stratolaunch

Key Takeaways:

Stratolaunch's "Roc" is the world's largest airplane by wingspan, designed to serve as an air-launch platform for hypersonic test vehicles and other large payloads.
Test pilot Evan Thomas describes flying Roc as uniquely challenging, citing its unusual "flat, Dutch roll" characteristic and the complexities of landing its massive twin-fuselage structure.
Following initial test flights and modifications (e.g., yaw augmentation), Roc is preparing for new missions to expand its flight envelope and ultimately launch hypersonic vehicles, supporting national defense and aerospace research.

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Flying the world’s largest airplane—with a wingspan longer than an American football field—is tricky, even for professional test pilots. Evan Thomas should know. He was the first pilot to fly it.

Named Roc, after the mythical bird, Stratolaunch’s twin-fuselage aircraft was designed to carry and launch large payloads in flight. So far, the one-of-a-kind jet with six engines has only flown twice since its debut in 2019.