Burt Rutan comes from Dinuba, California. He is probably one of the most famous designers of aircraft in the world. He has an engineering degree from California Polytechnic University. He was an Air Force flight test project engineer at Edwards Air Force Base. He moved on and in 1972 he became the director at Bede Test Center for Bede Aircraft of Newton, Kansas. But it was his next move that was to have profound effects on the world of aviation. In 1974 he moved to Mojave, California and started his own aircraft company. It seemed that Rutan had been designing a non conventional aircraft and wanted to finish it. Not only did he finish it, but he designed and built the Quickie, Defiant, VariViggen, Boomerang, Long-EZ, Grizzly, NASA AD-1, VariEze, Solitaire, NGT trainer, Catbird, and the famous Voyager Aircraft that flew non stop around the world without refueling. The planes were not necessarily built in the order described.

VariEze

To complement his airplane operations he founded Scaled Composites, Inc. in 1982. Scaled is very inovative in the aerospace industry and has produced an average of one new prototype plane every year, which is the most for any aerospace company.

When you build experimental planes you have to expect some accidents. On August 2, 1997 the Defiant, an experimental Rutan aircraft, crashed into the ground after takeoff. Miraculously, of the three people aboard, no one was killed although the pilot was injured seriously. The canopy had opened as the plane was climbing and had reached an altitude of about 500 feet. As the pilot tried to close it, it opened again and the pilot decided to execute an emergency landing. The pilot stated that the canopy was not properly latched upon takeoff.

Left: AD-1 Right: Proteus

Rutan aircraft had designed a replacement for for the Navy's A10 tank killer. It was a jet with a large cannon that extended almost the length of the plane. The plane cost only $2,000,000 at the time, and was called the Rutan 151 Ares. The purchase was turned down by the armed forces. In plane purchases there is a lot more that is considered than which plane is the best. If you are trying to get a defense contract for planes you better have at least one strong senator in your corner. We could have purchased 15 of these planes for the price of one of our fighter planes.

Of all the aircraft builders today Rutan is the most innovative and his planes are among the most unusual in the air. Rutan is currently working on several projects. One of the most interesting is a reusable rocket plane that will be able to take people into space. The plane has already passed its first flight test. The plane is essentially a modified LongEZ that is being powered by twin rocket engines. The White Knight and Space Ship One is a system built by Rutan for launching a space vehicle from a flying platform. The White Knight performed perfectly but Space Ship 1 was not tested although its systems were. This system was built from private funding and may well be the first workable, private, vehicle capable of space travel.

White Knight with Space Ship One

Rutan is getting ready to launch the Globalflyer. The Globalflyer is a jet plane of unique design that is going to attempt to fly around the world in 80 hours with just one person aboard. It is a flying fuel tank. Made of composite materials it will weigh 22,066 pounds when fully fueled but only 3,577 pounds when empty. Getting off the ground safely will be one of the hardest tests for the plane. The pilot will have to stay awake the whole time because there is no facility for automatic operations for landing. It was previously thought that a jet plane couldn't accomplish this task because it uses too much fuel. The flight will be attempted in mid 2004. Previously a Rutan prop plane had circled the world in eight days without refueling, the plane was the Voyager.

Voyager

The Rutan planes are the most interesting planes aloft and Dick Rutan is an aeronautical genius. One would have to go back to the likes of Glenn Curtis and the Wright Brothers to find others with his adventurous spirit and unconventional innovative approaches.