Innovation

World’s biggest plane to launch in 2016

The world's biggest plane is set to take off early next year in its groundbreaking first test flight. The aircraft, named the Stratolaunch Carrier, is currently under construction at Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, and will eventually have a wingspan of 385 feet (117 metres).

It will be so huge that if the plane sat in the centre of a football field, it would be wide enough for its wings to reach 12.5 feet (3.8 metres) beyond each goalpost. The idea is for the aircraft to act as a giant air pad in the sky, allowing payloads to reach space faster and at a lower cost than existing technologies. The craft is the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Burt Rutan. The company that construction is going ahead as planned.  When its complete, the Stratolaunch Carrier aircraft will be powered by six 747-class engines.