Michael Melvill

 

Keynote Speaker – MetroCon 2005

 

 

Michael Melvill is a true American hero and almost certainly “one of the best pilots in the world”.   He was the first civilian to fly an aircraft into space and the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings.  A veteran test pilot, Melvill flew SpaceShipOne beyond the earth’s atmosphere at Mach 3 on 21 June 2004 and again in September of that year.   At 63, Melvill had logged over 7000 hours of flight in more than 130 types of aircraft.

 

Melvill joined Scaled Composites in 1978, where he is currently Vice President and General Manager.  He was program manager of the Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the world non-stop without refueling, and he has set national and international records for both altitude and speed.  In 1999 he was awarded the Ivan C. Kincheloe trophy for his work on the developmental high altitude flight testing of the model 281 Proteus.   He is an associate fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a member of the Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association.

 

A few of Melvill’s achievements are:

 

  • Long-EZ aircraft program – Test Pilot
  • Grizzly STOL aircraft proof-of-concept full scale aircraft – Program Manager, Primary Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Solitaire self launch glider – Program Manager, Primary Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Fairchild Republic Next Generation Trainer – Test Pilot
  • Beech Starship 1 – Test Pilot
  • ATAC Predator 480 – Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Voyager – Program Manager
  • CM-44 UAV prototype aircraft – Program Manager, Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Catbird experimental aircraft – Program Manager, Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Pond Racer – Test Pilot – Designer
  • Model 151 ARES single engine jet fighter – Test Pilot
  • Model 226 Raptor – Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Model 202 Boomerang – Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Model 281 Proteus – Test Pilot – First Flight
  • Model 316 SpaceShipOne – First Flight

 

Originally from South Africa, he moved to the United States with his wife Sally in 1967.  He became a U.S. citizen in 1972 when he began building and flying his own airplane from plans that Burt Rutan (CEO of Scaled Composites) sold to the public.  After joining Scaled Composites in 1978, the couple moved to Tehachapi, California, where they have lived ever since.  Mike holds the FAA Commercial certificate, ASEL, AMEL, instrument airplane, Rotorcraft-helicopter, Glider, and astronaut.