020 Virgin Galactic and Commercial Space Travel, with David Mackay
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Future space tourists will have today\'s guest, Chief Pilot David Mackay of Virgin Galactic, to thank for their adventures into the cosmos. \\xa0This fit family man is working with entrepreneurial king, Sir Richard Branson, to make travel into space accessible to all. \\xa0David recently completed a successful Virgin Galactic test flight where he traveled approximately 55 miles above the Earth\\u2019s surface and had with him the company\\u2019s first test passenger.\\xa0 In this episode, David shares the pain of a sobering tragedy that killed Pilot Michael Alsbury as Virgin Galactic prepared to launch its space program.\\xa0 David also gives listeners a vivid description of what Earth looks like from the vantage point of a pilot\\u2019s seat, and shares his thoughts on the upcoming transition of Virgin Galactic\\u2019s commercial space program from Mojave, California to Truth or Consequences, the location of Spaceport America.
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Show Notes
David Mackay was born in Scotland and studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1979 during which time he became a test pilot.\\xa0 After retiring from the Royal Air Force in 1995, David became a commercial pilot for Virgin Atlantic.\\xa0 A chance meeting led him to join Virgin Galactic in 1995 for which he has served as its Chief Pilot since 2011.\\xa0 On February 22, 2019, David piloted the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity into space with a test passenger whose purpose was to evaluate the customer experience and cabin.
Virgin Galactic Space Flight on February 22, 2019
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