Contacts for Burt Rutan's company "Scaled Composites"

[ProPilot5]

Looking for contacts over at Rutan's "Scaled Composites", any information as to the company, who to talk to. Looking for any flight engineering positions with a very promising future.

Thanks.

 

[SATCFI]

5 seconds with Google: http://www.scaled.com/

 

[rvsm410]

Thats why he is an engineer.....Ha

 

[sstearns2]

I hope you havn't worked for NASA. Burt just loooovvves NASA.

But seriously, I used to be an engineer there and it was a great experience. It helps to be a pilot, almost all the engineers are. You need to have hands on experience with composties as a lot of the engineering is half analysis and half intuition. It might help to actually walk in the front door and try to get a minute with the head of engineering or walk around the airport on the weekend and see who you meet, you never know. It's a fun place to work if you like looking at a computer screen a lot of the day, Mojave is the pits, but it's cheap. You get used to flying in 30 gusting to 40 in blowing sand after a while. I've seen the wind blow 60+ knots for days in Mojave. Ahhh, the memories.

Good luck,

Scott

 

[Airpiraterob]

i heard he hates aero engineers.......regular engineers he loves....cause they havent been trained to do it the 'boeing' way.....

 

[LearLove]

I applied there when I was a senior in college in 96/97 (BSME). I actually got to the point where I spoke at length with Mr. Rutan. At the time I had designed my own airfoil and was working on a govt/NASA grant that had to due with UAV design.

I also built and tested several UAV's that were used as testbeds for my airfoil designs. My airfoil research focused on the low Reynolds number, i.e RE=200,000 to 500,000 range. To do this I had to restore/modify an old civil engineering wind tunnel. The wind tunnel was originally used to test building design in strong winds.

I also had about 400 hours and my COMM MEL and CFI. I was part-time instructing.

Anyway in the end I guess Peter Seibold got the job. I may have been hired too had I kept at it but around the same time I was offered a 135 job and I went the airline route after graduation. Which has lead to a "wonderful" job as an E-170 FO for 45,000/year.

Until the SpaceShipOne thing I hadn't given my efforts for employment with Scaled any thoughts in years until I watched the Descovery Channel show on the launch last week. When they said the name "Peter Seibold" everything from that time in my life came back and hit me like a brick. As I watched the TV the room began to spin and I thought I was going to throw-up seeing what I could have been doing. O well what could have been.

Also at the same time I was trying to get on with Scaled I was hired by Aryes in GA as an Engineer/FlightTest Engineer to do work on the single prop twin engine cargo plane they had going to replace the Caravan. I didn't take the offer.

 

[sstearns2]

I wouldn't kick yourself too hard. I went to college and worked with Pete and he had a unique set of skills in addition to being at the right place at the right time. Simply being there at the same time would not have meant that you would have gotten to do the things that he has gotten to do.

You make very close to the same money as most of the engineers at Scaled. When you make E-170 captain you'll make more than anyone there except the handful in upper managment and you don't have to live in Mojave. The grass is always greener....

Scott

 

[lawfly]

Rutan/Scaled Composites

Interesting posts. Coincidentally, I visited Scaled Composite's website a few hours ago. They did have some sort of engineering or materials expert position posted. Hey, this is a little off topic, but about those "Commercial Astronaut Wings" and commercial/private space flight generally, any knowledge/thoughts/opinions: Does FAA ATC get involved, at least while vehicle is in US airspace, say, on re-entry? Any requirement for ATC or "IFR" clearance when (re)-entering Class A airspace? (FL 600?) Do they get waivers? And is there/will there be a Part 61 "Commercial Astronaut" certificate? (It's not in my current copy of regs...) Just wondering how FAA, FARs fit into any of this, especially if it becomes a frequent/regular thing, as envisioned. Interesting prospects, though, with Virgin seemingly serious about Virgin Galactica.
Again, interesting posts from you guys with first hand knowledge of some of the people involved.