After successfully completing one aviation first, Doug Shane said his company was ready for another.

Shane, a Kansas University graduate, is vice president for business development and director of flight operations for Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif. The firm designed SpaceShipOne, which made the first manned, commercial flight into space last fall, and also designed GlobalFlyer, which likely will attempt the first solo, around-the-world flight without stopping or refueling next week.

“I think the biggest challenge of any program like this is having the commitment and courage to make it happen,” Shane said. “It means taking some risks. Without taking the risks, you don’t get the reward.”

Shane, a native of Overland Park and 1982 KU engineering graduate, was in Lawrence Friday to speak at the annual Engineering Expo at KU.

He was a test pilot for SpaceShipOne, which secured the $10 million X Prize in October by making two flights into space in a period of two weeks.

“It was very interesting to experience all the emotions of a project like that, where you’ve worked for 3 1/2 years and very intensely for the last year with a very closely knit team of people,” Shane said. “After the last X Prize flight … it felt a lot like the last day of high school — you clean out your lockers and it’s, ‘Gosh, I hope I see you again sometime but I don’t know if I will.’ It was a real interesting letdown in a lot of ways.”

Now, the company’s sights are set on another aviation first, through the GlobalFlyer. Officials with Virgin Atlantic, which is sponsoring the flight, said Friday that conditions looked favorable for the plane to take off Monday from the Salina Municipal Airport. Official confirmation of the launch time is expected this morning.

Doug Shane, a Kansas University alumnus who helped develop the SpaceShipOne craft that won the X prize, was the keynote speaker at KU's Engineering Expo. Shane spoke to area high school students at the Lied Center and showed video of the project.

Steve Fossett, the millionaire adventurer who was the first man to fly solo around the world in a balloon, will pilot the craft.

“GlobalFlyer technically has a very good chance of making it around the world,” Shane said. “It does require a certain threshold of minimum tailwinds.”

He said the physical challenge faced by Fossett during the approximately 66-hour flight may be more amazing than the airplane itself.

Shane's company, Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., also designed the GlobalFlyer, which is scheduled to attempt the world's first nonstop flight around the world without refueling next week.

“It’s impressive … not the least from a human endurance standpoint, which is what Steve Fossett is all about,” Shane said. “He’s an amazing guy from the standpoint of being able to do these endurance tests. To fly three days straight, and hopefully stay awake the whole time and do a good job flying the airplane is a huge test of human endurance.”

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