Burt Rutan's recent departure from Mojave after 36 years marked the end of an era defined by his pioneering influence on aircraft design and innovation.
His early work at Rutan Aircraft Factory (RAF) produced groundbreaking homebuilt aircraft like the VariEze and the safety-focused Defiant, fundamentally changing general aviation.
Rutan achieved global fame with the legendary Voyager, the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without refueling, subsequently founding Scaled Composites for rapid prototyping of diverse projects.
His illustrious career culminated in spaceflight achievements like SpaceShipOne, winning the Ansari X-Prize, and is characterized by unparalleled ingenuity, ambition, and a knack for making the seemingly impossible a reality.
On April 3 there was a short e-mail from Dick Rutan to “All.” It said:
Just a note … had a going away lunch at the Voyager Cafe Mojave with Burt and Tonya; after lunch they got in the car and are driving to the new home in Idaho as I write. So they are gone lock stock and barrel from Mojave.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.
