The Craft of Providing Variety in Airplanes

Miles and Rutan found a way to master diversification in their designs.

Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 08:47 AM ET

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In one of his books, German novelist W.G. Sebald describes the mesmerizing sight of the familiar constellations overhead. [iStock]

Key Takeaways:

The article begins by analyzing a fictional aircraft depiction in W.G. Sebald's *Austerlitz*, where a "Cessna" flight actually features a Miles Gemini, prompting a discussion of the aircraft and a German linguistic nuance.
It extensively compares Frederick George Miles, the designer of the Gemini, to Burt Rutan, emphasizing their similar paths from homebuilder to professional, marked by diverse, inventive designs and mastery of fast prototyping using different materials.
Miles's career was characterized by varied projects, including successful pre-WWII training aircraft, commercial hits like the Gemini, and ambitious but ultimately canceled designs such as the M.52 supersonic jet, whose termination sparked controversy.

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German novelist W.G. Sebald liked to salt his fiction with photographs. They illustrated his scenes so well that I had to wonder whether he staged the photos to match his text or shaped his story to match photos he happened to have.

In one of his books, Austerlitz, the title character goes flying at night with pilot friend Gerald Fitzpatrick in a “Cessna.” He describes the mesmerizing sight of the familiar constellations overhead. Now, looking up at the stars from an airplane is an entrancing experience, but no one ever had it in a Cessna.

Peter Garrison

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.