Mike Melvill, one of Burt Rutan's closest friends, in Executive Vice President of Scaled Composites, and pilot of the first flight of SpaceShipOne, stands next to the Rutan-designed Long-EZE, which Melvill built and flew around the world. A native of South Africa, Melvill is a naturalized American citizen. He was one of the first people hired by Burt Rutan at the Rutan Aircraft Factory. During his tenure at Scaled Composites, Melvill flew every plane designed and built by Burt Rutan.