Since the White Knight Two doesn't transport passengers or cargo, why does it even have a fuselage? Wouldn't a purely wing shaped aircraft be better? Is it simply more convenient to use an existing and tested aircraft design, even if it was created for a different purpose?
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2$\begingroup$ Wing shaped aircraft are not the best shape for flying - fuselages give stability! Additionally they are a great place to carry fuel, instruments, technicians, test engineers... $\endgroup$– Rory Alsop ♦Nov 5, 2014 at 9:12
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$\begingroup$ A fuselage is also helpful for attaching a tail. $\endgroup$– Anthony XNov 8, 2014 at 16:47
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1 Answer
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From Wikipedia.
One fuselage is an exact replica of that of SpaceShipTwo (to allow tourist training), and the other will carry 'cut-rate' day-trippers into the stratosphere.
Why even have one? Well, there is a pilot of White Knight. Given that you want to have Space Ship two be in the middle, White Knight needs to have two fuselages, to maintain stability with and without the SpaceShip Two.
Bottom line, having two fuselages makes sense for stability, and if you have them anyways, why not make them useful?
answered Nov 5, 2014 at 19:18