“Captive Carry.” Three-quarter right front view from slightly above of Scaled Composites Model 318 Tier One White Knight (r/n N318SL) turbojet launch aircraft in “captive carry” flight with Model 316 Tier One SpaceShipOne (r/n N328KF, A20050459000) mounted beneath; taken during Combined White Knight / SpaceShipOne Flight Tests over the Mohave Desert, California, probably during the first manned captive carry flight made on July 29, 2003.
In 2003 on this date, Scaled Composite’s launching aircraft White Knight, carrying their spacecraft SpaceShip One, flew twice. Pilots William Binnie and Mike Melville practiced airshow maneuvers and made adjustments to upcoming planned demonstration flights.
