Phantom Ray arrives in Dryden ahead of flight tests

December 13 was frigid in St. Louis with the temperature about 16 degrees, but it was a good day to fly, especially for one of NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) and Boeing’s Phantom Ray. The two aircraft made aviation history on the same flight, thanks to some way-out-of-the-box thinking and a special adapter, both courtesy of Boeing engineers.

“I have to admit that when the idea of using the SCA to transport the Phantom Ray was first proposed, there was some level of apprehension on my part,” said Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager. “However, once the idea started to take shape and we began meeting with NASA, my apprehension quickly turned to excitement. Pulling it off in such a short amount of time is a real credit to the Phantom Ray team and NASA, and is a real feat of engineering.”

http://www.boeing.com/Features/2010/12/bds_phantom_ray_12_10_10.html