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56-549: The aircraft was first imagined by Burt Rutan and his brother Dick Rutan in 1980. Burt sketched his concept for the aircraft for Dick and Jeana Yeager during a lunch in 1981. The idea was sketched out on the back of a napkin. Voyager was built in Mojave, California over a period of five years, mainly by volunteers working under both the Rutan Aircraft Factory and an organization named Voyager Aircraft. Burt Rutan served as

112-409: A fuel pump failed and had to be replaced with its twin pumping fuel from the other side of the aircraft. In front of 55,000 spectators and a large press contingent, including 23 live feeds breaking into scheduled broadcasting across Europe and North America, the plane safely came back to earth, touching down at 8:06 a.m. at the same airfield 9 days after take-off. Rutan made three low passes over

168-415: A 2010 Big Think interview, Rutan articulated his motivation for developing suborbital spaceflight technology projects with SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo . In it he said, "we can achieve some breakthroughs", making such flight "orders of magnitude safer and orders of magnitude more affordable. I'm taking this step because I think achieving something that has never existed in manned spaceflight – and that

224-568: A preliminary canard project (model 49), a tandem wing configuration was eventually designed, to be powered by an 18 hp Onan industrial engine. The prototype (Rutan model 54) was built in 1977 and registered as N77Q. After 5 months of testing, Quickie Aircraft marketed the aircraft as the Rutan model 54 Quickie in 1978. Two derivatives of the Quickie were subsequently developed, both expanded to include two seats. Quickie Aircraft had Gary LaGare develop

280-472: A range of 2,010 miles (3,230 km), over twice that of the VariEze. The Long-EZ also has a revised wing spar design that is not subject to the 2.5 g positive, 1.5 g negative, maximum load factor limit applied to the VariEze after the discovery of problems with some VariEze wings. Quickie Rutan was approached by Gene Sheehan and Tom Jewett to develop a single-seat personal sport aircraft. Following

336-540: A test flight off the coast of California, in which they flew for 111 hours and 44 minutes, traveling 11,857 statute miles (19,082 km) in twenty circuits between San Luis Obispo and Stewarts Point , breaking the previous record held since 28 May 1931 by a Bellanca CH-300 fitted with a Packard DR-980 diesel engine, piloted by Walter Edwin Lees and Frederic Brossy which had set a record by staying aloft for 84 hours and 32 minutes without being refueled. The first attempt at

392-495: A three-surface aircraft (canard, main wing, and tail) and first flew in 1988. After serving as Rutan's personal airplane, it was retired. The Catbird is notable for winning the CAFE Challenge aircraft efficiency prize in 1993. Pond Racer The 1991 Pond Racer was an Unlimited Class racing airplane. Concerned about the dwindling numbers of World War II aircraft , with many being consumed by use as Unlimited Class racers at

448-638: Is high volume and public access – I think it is important to do that and to do it as soon as possible." He retired from Scaled Composites in April 2011. That same year, he received the Daniel Guggenheim Medal and became recognized as a Living Legend of Aviation , receiving the Bob Hoover Freedom of Flight Award from the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy. In 2012, Rutan spoke on "Innovation and

504-479: Is a hybrid flying car . Announced in July 2011, the twin-pod vehicle has a wingspan of 31 feet 10 inches; with the wings reconfigured (stowed between the pods), the car has a width of 7 feet 11 inches and fits in a single-car garage. The design has two 450 cc four-cycle engines , one in each pod, which power a pair of generators that in turn power the electric motors used for propulsion. " Lithium-ion batteries in

560-468: Is a retired American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft. He designed the record-breaking Voyager , which in 1986 was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. He also designed the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer , which in 2006 set the world record for

616-446: Is expected to have a driving range of 820 miles. It has a claimed electric-only range of 35 miles." Flight controls are in the right pod, road controls (steering wheel and brakes) in the left. Amsoil Racer The Rutan model 68 Amsoil Racer was a racing aircraft of Quickie configuration, built in 1981. It set several speed records, but crashed at the 1983 Reno Air Races and was unsalvageable. Voyager The Rutan model 76 Voyager

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672-724: Is headquartered in Mojave, California , at the Mojave Air & Space Port . That same year, Beechcraft contracted Rutan's Scaled Composites to refine the design and build the prototype Beechcraft Starship . In 1987, Rutan received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . In 1988, he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum and in 1995,

728-511: Is married to Tonya Rutan and together they have two children. In a 45-year career, many of Rutan's designs have often been quite dissimilar from their predecessors. The Los Angeles Times said of his designs: "His airplanes and spacecraft take on all types of sleek shapes and sizes, looking more like the work of a sculptor than an engineer. In all, Rutan has come up with 367 individual concepts—of which 45 have flown." VariViggen and VariViggen SP In 1968, he began building his first design,

784-589: Is responsible for helping popularize both the canard configuration and the use of moldless composite construction in the homebuilt aircraft industry, the latter a technique that was adopted in several production and commercial aircraft in the following decades. He is the founder or co-founder of multiple aerospace companies, including the Rutan Aircraft Factory , Scaled Composites , Mojave Aerospace Ventures , and The Spaceship Company . Rutan has designed 46 aircraft throughout his career, been included in

840-551: The Time 100 Most Influential People in the World list for the year 2004, been the co-recipient of both the Collier and National Air and Space Museum trophies on two occasions (each for his accomplishments with Voyager in 1986 and SpaceShipOne in 2004), received six honorary doctoral degrees, and has won over 100 different awards for aerospace design and development. In 1995, he was inducted into

896-505: The Wright Flyer , Spirit of St. Louis and Bell X-1 . Burt and Dick Rutan, along with Yeager, made headlines for their efforts as the Voyager team and received the 1986 Collier Trophy and Presidential Citizens Medal from President Ronald Reagan . Catbird The Scaled Composites Model 81 Catbird is a five-seat, single-engined pressurized airplane. The airplane was configured as

952-495: The Ansari X Prize of $ 10 million and helped spur the beginning of the global private space race . Later in his career, he became Vice President/General Manager at Scaled Composites . Mike Melvill holds FAA Commercial certificate, ASEL, AMEL, instrument airplane, rotorcraft-helicopter, glider and now astronaut. As of January, 2020, Melvill is the sole or joint holder of ten FAI aviation world records in various categories. He

1008-596: The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter. He left to become Director of Development of the BD-5 aircraft for Bede Aircraft in Newton, Kansas , a position he held until 1974. In June 1974, Rutan returned to California to establish the Rutan Aircraft Factory . In this business he designed and developed prototypes for several aircraft, mostly intended for amateur builders. His first design, executed while he

1064-700: The National Aviation Hall of Fame at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio . Rutan was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1989 for leading the engineering, design, construction, and testing of a series of aircraft, including Voyager . In 2004, after SpaceShipOne flew, he was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People in

1120-564: The National Aviation Hall of Fame . Rutan has five aircraft on display in the Smithsonian Institution 's National Air and Space Museum : the VariEze, Quickie , Voyager, SpaceShipOne, and the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. He is the younger brother of the late test pilot and United States Air Force fighter pilot Dick Rutan , who piloted many of Burt's earlier original designs on class record-breaking flights. Burt Rutan

1176-603: The Q2 , while Viking Aircraft developed the Viking Dragonfly . Solitaire The 1982 Sailplane Homebuilders Association (Now the Experimental Soaring Association) opened a competition for a homebuilt, self-launching sailplane. Rutan designed the model 77 Solitaire for this competition, which it won. The sailplane was canard-configured, with a retractable engine ahead of the cockpit. Grizzly Rutan designed

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1232-577: The Reno Air Races in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The aircraft was destroyed in a forced landing crash on September 14, 1993, killing pilot Rick Brickert. Mike Melvill Michael Winston Melvill (born November 30, 1940, in Johannesburg , South Africa ) is a world-record-breaking pilot and one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne , the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites . Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past

1288-542: The VariViggen , which first flew in April 1972. It had the rear wing, forward canard , and pusher configuration design elements which became his trademarks. In lieu of wind tunnel testing, Rutan developed aerodynamic parameters for the VariViggen using a model rigged atop his station wagon , and measured the forces while driving on empty roads. The VariViggen was the Rutan model 27. A new set of outer wings, with winglets,

1344-456: The edge of space , flight 15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming the first commercial astronaut , and the 435th person to go into space. He was also the pilot on SpaceShipOne's flight 16P , the first competitive flight in the Ansari X Prize competition. In 1978, Melvill met aerospace designer and Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan when he flew to California to show Rutan the VariViggen he had built at his home. Rutan then hired him on

1400-469: The 1980s NASA issued a contract to Ames Industrial Company of Bohemia, New York to develop a small, low-cost aircraft to investigate Robert T. Jones 's (a NASA researcher at NASA's Ames Research Center ) oblique wing concept. Ames turned to Rutan, who designed a small, fiberglass airframe , powered by two Microturbo TRS-18 jet engines. This was the Rutan model 35, the Ames AD-1 . After completion of

1456-671: The Equator (as opposed to shorter ostensible "circumnavigations" circling the North or South Pole). This feat has since been accomplished only one other time, by Steve Fossett in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (also designed by Rutan). For the feat, Yeager, the Rutans, and crew chief/builder Bruce Evans received the 1986 Collier Trophy . Data from NASM General characteristics Performance Burt Rutan Elbert Leander " Burt " Rutan ( / ˈ r uː t ən / ; born June 17, 1943)

1512-464: The Reno Air Races, Bob Pond contracted Rutan and Scaled to design and build an Unlimited Class racer. After design studies, a twin-engined, conventional configured layout was chosen. The aircraft was powered by two 1,000 hp (750 kW) Electromotive-Nissan VG-30 3-liter GTP piston engines running on methanol . The aircraft was built and tested before delivery to the customer. It appeared at

1568-587: The Space Race" to the World Affairs Council, as recorded on C-Span. Flying magazine ranked him at number 18 on their 2013 list, "51 Heroes of Aviation". Rutan was also a recipient of the prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy in 2015. In 2021, he received his second eponymous Bob Hoover award with the AOPA 's R.A. "Bob" Hoover Trophy, given to "people in the industry who have made major contributions over

1624-410: The VariEze, and these aircraft went on to set other world records in this class. They were also the first aircraft to fly with NASA-developed winglets . Rutan later revised the VariEze design, providing more volume for fuel and cargo, resulting in the Rutan model 61 Long-EZ , designed to be powered by a Lycoming O-235 , although some have used Lycoming O-320s or Lycoming O-360s . The Long-EZ had

1680-500: The Voyager test flight was ended by the failure of a propeller pitch-change motor that resulted in an emergency landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base . On a test flight on September 29, 1986, the airplane had to make an emergency landing due to a propeller blade departing the aircraft. As a result, the decision was made to switch to aluminium Hartzell hydraulically actuated propellers. In a crash program , Hartzell made custom propellers for

1736-622: The World" and as Inc. magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year". In 2005, he received the NAS Award in Aeronautical Engineering from the National Academy of Sciences . In the same year, he was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy , which he also obtained in 1986 for his design and development of the Voyager 15. In 2007, Northrop Grumman became the sole owner of Rutan's Scaled Composites. In

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1792-474: The aircraft was analyzed using computational fluid dynamics . Vortex generators were added to the canard to reduce sensitivity to surface contamination by rain. Voyager had front and rear propellers, powered by separate engines . It was originally flown on June 22, 1984, powered by Lycoming O-235 engines with fixed-pitch propellers. In November 1985, the aircraft was rolled out, fitted with world-flight engines, an air-cooled Teledyne Continental O-240 in

1848-508: The aircraft, which were first flown on November 15, 1986. Voyager's world flight takeoff took place on the longest runway at Edwards AFB at 8:01 am local time on December 14, 1986, with 3,500 of the world's press in attendance. As the plane accelerated, the tips of the wings, which were heavily loaded with fuel , were damaged as they unexpectedly flew down and scraped against the runway, ultimately causing pieces (winglets) to break off at both ends (the pilot had wanted to gain enough speed for

1904-516: The canard design was the 1996 Boomerang , perhaps one of the unconventional designer's most unconventional aircraft. The aircraft, the Rutan model 202 Boomerang, is an asymmetric twin-engine tractor configuration aircraft with one engine on the fuselage and another mounted on a pod. A November 1996 Popular Mechanics feature article said it "looks more like a trimotor that lost its right boom and engine". BiPod The BiPod , Rutan's latest design in association with his company Scaled Composites,

1960-560: The coast of California. In December 1986, they took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and flew around the world (westward) in nine days, fulfilling the aircraft's design goals and setting multiple world absolute flight distance records . The Voyager was retired and now hangs in the Milestones of Flight exhibit in the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) main exhibit hall, with

2016-444: The concept used in the repair of molded European sailplanes. His innovation was the adoption of the method not for repair but to build an aircraft with hotwire wing cores and hand-carved foam for the fuselage box. This method allowed Rutan to build a plane without a mold. In April 1982, Rutan founded Scaled Composites , LLC, which has become one of the world's pre-eminent aircraft design and prototyping facilities. Scaled Composites

2072-458: The course of their careers to key areas within general aviation ." In 2022, the Mojave Air and Space Port was given the name "Rutan Field" in honor of the Rutan brothers' contributions to the airport, its board stating that the Rutans' aviation achievements "have played a key role in the evolution of the aerospace industry and the success of the Mojave Air & Space Port organization." Burt

2128-539: The fastest (342 mph/551 km/h in 67 hours) and longest (25,766 miles/41,466 km) nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation flight in history. In 2004, Rutan's sub-orbital spaceplane design SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space, winning the Ansari X-Prize that year for achieving the feat twice within a two-week period. With his VariEze and Long-EZ designs, which first flew in 1975 and 1979 respectively, Rutan

2184-411: The flight to continue. During the flight, the two pilots had to deal with extremely cramped quarters. To reduce stress, the two had originally intended to fly the plane in three-hour shifts, but flight handling characteristics while the plane was heavy prevented routine changeovers, and they became very fatigued. Dick Rutan reportedly stayed at the controls without relief for almost the first three days of

2240-536: The flight. The plane also continuously reminded the pilots of its pitch instability and fragility. They had to maneuver around bad weather numerous times, most perilously around the 600-mile-wide (1,000 km) Typhoon Marge . Libya denied access to the country's airspace in response to Operation El Dorado Canyon earlier that year. There were contentious radio conversations between the Rutan brothers as Dick flew around weather and, at one time, turned around and began doubling back. As they neared California to land,

2296-432: The forward location and a liquid-cooled Teledyne Continental IOL-200 in the aft location. Both were firstly fitted with wooden, variable-pitch electrically actuated MT-Propellers . The plan was for the rear engine to be operated throughout the flight. The front engine was intended to provide additional power for takeoff and the initial part of the flight under heavy load. On July 15, 1986, Dick Rutan and Yeager completed

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2352-401: The inner wings, rather than the fragile outer wings, to lift the plane; in 67 test flights, the plane had never been loaded to capacity). The aircraft accelerated very slowly and needed approximately 14,200 feet (2.7 mi; 4.3 km) of the runway to gain enough speed to lift from the ground, the wings arching up dramatically just before take-off. The two damaged winglets remained attached to

2408-496: The landing field before putting Voyager down. The average speed for the flight was 116 miles per hour (187 km/h). There were 106 pounds (48 kg) of fuel remaining in the tanks, only about 1.5% of the fuel they had at take-off. Sanctioned by the FAI and the AOPA , the flight was the first successful aerial nonstop, non-refueled circumnavigation of the Earth that included two passes over

2464-513: The lead designer for the project, and the chief aerodynamicist was John Roncz . The airframe made of fiberglass , carbon fiber , and Kevlar weighed 939 pounds (426 kg) when empty. With the engines included, the unladen weight of the plane was 2,250 pounds (1,020 kg). When it was fully loaded with fuel for its historic flight it weighed 9,694.5 pounds (4,397.4 kg). The aircraft had an estimated lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) of 27. The canard and wing airfoils were custom-designed, and

2520-490: The model 72 Grizzly to investigate the possibility of a STOL canard aircraft. It was retired after testing in 1982. Lotus Microlight Rutan was approached by Colin Chapman , the founder of Lotus Cars , to design a single-seat ultralight aircraft . Again, a canard configuration was developed, the Rutan model 91. Colin Chapman's death in 1982 brought this project to an end, after the aircraft had flown. Ames AD-1 In

2576-506: The nose of each pod will provide power during take off and an emergency backup for landing. With a cruising speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), Scaled says the Model 367 BiPod would have a range of 760 miles (1,220 km)." The plane can fly at 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) which reduces the range to 530 miles (850 km). "Out on the road, this roadable aircraft, which carries 18 US gallons (68 L; 15 imp gal) of fuel,

2632-468: The spot. In 1982, he was named Rutan's lead test pilot. In 1997, Melvill and Dick Rutan , Burt's brother, flew two Long-Eze aircraft that they built side-by-side around the world. This "around the world in 80 nights" flight was called The Spirit of EAA Friendship World Tour, and some legs of it lasted for over 14 hours. His famous 2004 flights in SpaceshipOne earned him and the entire project team

2688-493: The successful VariEze (pronounced "very easy") homebuilt aircraft designs, in which he pioneered the use of moldless glass-reinforced plastic construction in homebuilts. The prototype, designated Model 31, made its public debut at the 1975 EAA Convention and Fly-In (now called AirVenture) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin . That same year, his brother Dick Rutan set a world distance record in the under-500 kg (1100 lb) class in

2744-617: The test program, the AD-1 was retired in 1982 and is now on exhibit in the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California . ARES The Scaled Composites ARES , also called the "Mudfighter", is a full-size flying and shooting prototype of a lightweight low cost aircraft with a similar ground attack and support role as the A-10 . The aircraft first flew in 1990. Boomerang A departure from

2800-417: The tractor engine was used for take-off and initial climb to altitude, then was shut down. The aircraft was first flown with two Lycoming O-235 engines. After development work, it was reengined with a Continental O-200 (modified to include liquid cooling ) as the pusher engine and a Continental O-240 as the tractor engine. As a proving flight the aircraft made a record setting endurance flight off

2856-416: The wings by only a thin layer of carbon fiber and were removed by flying the Voyager in a slip , which introduced side-loading, tearing the winglets off completely. Some of the carbon fiber skin was pulled off in the process, exposing the blue foam core. Burt Rutan following with pilot Mike Melvill determined that Voyager was still within its performance specifications despite the damage and decided to allow

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2912-521: Was born in 1943 in Estacada, Oregon , near Portland, and raised in Dinuba, California . He was one of three children born to George (a dentist) and Irene Rutan. His sister, Nell Rutan, is a former flight attendant for American Airlines . He displayed an early interest in aircraft design. By the time he was eight years old, Rutan was designing and building model aircraft. His first solo flight piloting an airplane

2968-566: Was in an Aeronca Champ in 1959, at age 16. In 1965, he graduated third in his class from the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo) with a BS degree in aeronautical engineering. From 1965 to 1972, Rutan was a civilian flight test project engineer for the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base , working on nine projects including the LTV XC-142 VSTOL transport and spin tests of

3024-606: Was later developed by Rutan for the VariViggen, producing the VariViggen SP, Rutan model 32. The VariViggen was named in honor of the Saab 37 Viggen , a canard-configured fighter jet developed in Sweden. One VariViggen, built in France and named Micro Star, was powered by two Microturbo TRS-18 jet engines in lieu of the usual piston engine . VariEze and Long-EZ The VariViggen design led to

3080-410: Was still at Bede, was the VariViggen , a two-seat pusher single-engine craft of canard configuration. The canard would become a feature of many Rutan designs, notably the very popular VariEze and Long-EZ. He is also known for using exotic and unconventional materials in his designs. He was the first to use moldless composite construction. According to him, he started his composite work by copying

3136-490: Was the first airplane to fly nonstop, without refueling around the world. Piloted by Rutan's brother Dick and Jeana Yeager the airplane made the round the world flight over 9 days in December 1986. Around-the-world flights had been accomplished by military crews using in-flight refueling . Burt developed a twin-engined (piston engines, one pusher and one tractor) canard-configured design. The pusher engine ran continuously,

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