Source: Virgin Galactic press release
Virgin Galactic today announced the appointment of two new pilots into its Pilot Corps, bringing the total number of pilots to eight.
Jameel Janjua and Patrick Moran will be based at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and join the Virgin Galactic team as preparations for commercial service continue.
Both will embark on an extensive training program before flying SpaceShipTwo. In addition to the Spaceship, the pilots will also train to fly the carrier aircraft, VMS Eve. VMS Eve provides a way for the pilots to fly simulated parts of the SpaceShipTwo flight trajectory, gaining valuable hands-on training. Other assignments for the pilots will include flying other company support aircraft, working mission control, flight planning, and support various detailed engineering and project roles across the company.
While Jameel and Patrick will initially operate in a test pilot capacity, they, along with the rest of the Pilot Corps, will ultimately become the world’s first commercial Spaceship Pilots, flying Future Astronauts on their life-changing journey into space and back.
Our Virgin Galactic Pilots serve an essential role in the flight experience of our Future Astronauts. The pilots will join the Future Astronauts at various points in their training program, helping emphasize and provide details about various key elements of their upcoming spaceflight. All pilots are ambassadors of the Virgin Galactic brand and will work to provide Future Astronauts with an out of this world adventure.
Read more at the source: https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-hires-two-new-pilots-into-its-pilot-corps/
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