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Shane, Doug

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Shane

Born: 1960.

Educated Kansas. In June 2013, Shane joined The Spaceship Company (TSC) to become executive VP and general manager, ending a 31-year career with Scaled Composites, including five as president. He was promoted to president of TSC in July 2014.

SCALED COMPOSITES OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY (June 2004)

Doug Shane is Vice President/Business Development, Director of Flight Operations and Test Pilot for Scaled Composites. He has 21 years experience in aircraft flight test, design, program management, and business development, with particular expertise in research aircraft developmental flight test. He has been the Flight Operations Director at Scaled since 1989, and has been directly responsible for the safe performance of more than 25 research flight test programs.

Mr. Shane holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 1982.

Flight Experience:

• First flight and large portion of developmental test of the ARES, a single-seat, single-engine jet fighter, including ground and flight firing tests of GAU-12/U 25mm cannon.
• First flight and project pilot for a next-generation general aviation airplane, powered by a unique automotive-derived engine system.
• First flight of an experimental jet-engine derivative of the Long-EZ aircraft.
• First flight of the VisionAire Vantage business jet.
• First flight of the Williams International V-Jet II.
• First flight of the Adam Aircraft Model 309 piston twin-engine aircraft
• First flight of the Scaled Model 318 White Knight
• Total Flight Time: approximately 3500 hours, in more than 130 types of aircraft
• Hold FAA Commercial certificate, with ASEL, AMEL, Instrument Airplane
• Built and operate Rutan Long-EZ aircraft; own and operate 1948 Stinson 108-3
• Fellow, Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) and currently President-Elect of SETP
• Winner of prestigious Iven C. Kincheloe Award in 1997 from Society of Experimental Test Pilots

• White Knight Flight 1 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Shane, Siebold. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 0.2 hours Pilot: Shane Copilot: Siebold. Objectives: First flight. Handling qualities assessment and basic performance evaluation. Systems evaluation. Cabin un-pressurized. Results: Un-commanded hammering auxiliary spoiler deployments after takeoff. Flight aborted to downwind for an uneventful landing. No apparent flying qualities issues noted. Auxiliary spoilers were disabled for future flights.

• White Knight Flight 2 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Shane, Siebold. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 1.5 hours Pilot: Shane Copilot: Siebold. Objectives: First flight test card repeat. Flying qualities assessment and basic performance evaluation. Avionics and pneumatic systems evaluation. Cabin un-pressurized. Results: Envelope expansion to 15,000 feet and 140 knots. Overall satisfactory stability, good control harmony and impressive performance. Heavy airframe buffet at high speeds with both sets of speed brakes deployed. "Best airplane the company has ever built"

• White Knight Flight 3 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Melvill, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 2.8 hours Pilot: Melvill Copilot: Shane. Objectives: New pilot qual eval. Envelope expansion out to 25,000 feet and 150 knots. First flight with the cabin pressurized for environmental control system tests . Results: Satisfactory handling and performance. Buffet barriers determined for inboard and outboard speed brakes. Significant window fogging experienced after cold soak at altitude.

• White Knight Flight 4 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Shane, Siebold. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 2.5 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Shane. Objectives: New pilot qual eval. Envelope expansion out to 35,000 feet and 150 knots / 0.4M and 3 G's. Engine relight performance. Avionics software upgrade. Results: Experienced a rudder dead-band (poor centering) at the higher altitudes. Dihedral effect is neutral at higher speeds. Window fogging on descent. Numerous flight director attitude display resets.

• White Knight Flight 5 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Binnie, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 2.0 hours Pilot: Binnie Copilot: Shane. Objectives: New pilot qual eval. Envelope expansion out to 45,000 feet and 160 knots / 0.5M. Practice SpaceShipOne glide approaches. Effectiveness of new tail vortex generators and clipped outboard speed brakes. Results: The new VGs eliminated the high-altitude rudder dead-band. Encountered undamped rudder vibration at 25,000 feet and 160 knots during flutter envelope expansion. Engine flameout at 45,000 feet. Un-safe main gear indication for landing (a microswitch adjustment). Clipped otbd speed brake showed no change.

• White Knight Flight 6 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Binnie, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 0.9 hours Pilot: Shane Copilot: Binnie. Objectives: Evaluate rudder mass balance modifications. Effectiveness of engine bleed air heating of the fuselage aft of the cabin (first test of SpaceShipOne Nitrous heating system). Results: Rudder vibration problem resolved. Flight cut short due to suspected over-temp of aft cabin bulkhead from engine bleed air.

• White Knight Flight 7 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Binnie, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One.

  Flight Time: 3.0 hours Pilot: Shane Copilot: Binnie. Objectives: Completion of Flight 6 objectives. Airspeed and altitude envelope expansion, 45,000 feet / 160 knots / 0.5M Results: No structural damping issues found. Engine operation satisfactory. Some window fogging on descent. Some degradation of pneumatic actuators due to cold soaking. Insufficient dihedral effect at high speed/high altitude.

• White Knight Flight 11 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Melvill, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One. Flight Time: 0.3 hours Pilot: Shane Copilot: Melvill. Objectives: FAA-monitored flight for pilot "Type Rating". Results: Rating issued.

• White Knight Flight 12 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Melvill, Shane. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One. Flight Time: 0.3 hours Pilot: Melvill Copilot: Shane. Objectives: FAA-monitored flight for pilot "Type Rating". Results: Rating issued.

• White Knight Flight 14 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Shane, Siebold. Program: X-Prize. Spacecraft Bus: SpaceShip. Spacecraft: Spaceship One. Flight Time: 0.3 hours Pilot: Siebold Copilot: Shane. Objectives: FAA-monitored flight for pilot "Type Rating". Results: Rating issued.