Afternoon Air Show On Thursday, July 28 To Feature Variety Of
Rutan Designs
Paying tribute to an aviation legend responsible for many unique
aircraft designs, EAA AirVenture 2011 will salute Burt Rutan with a
special day of recognition along with dedicated programs and
attractions. The 59th annual edition of "The World's Greatest
Aviation Celebration" will be held July 25-31 at Wittman Regional
Airport in Oshkosh.
Burt Rutan
In addition to marking the 25th anniversary of Rutan's Voyager
aircraft around the world flight, AirVenture 2011 will include a
"Tribute to Burt Rutan" Day on Thursday, July 28.
Rutan (EAA #26033), founder and chief technical officer of
Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif., recently announced his
retirement effective April 2011 and will assume the title of
Scaled's founder and chairman emeritus. He is best known for his
unique, innovative airplane designs, many of which were first seen
by eager homebuilders annually at AirVenture, like the
VariViggen (his first), VariEze, and Long-EZ (his self-described
"best" homebuilt); one-off marvels like the Boomerang, Voyager,
GlobalFlyer, Grizzly, and SpaceShipOne; and, most recently,
SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.
VariViggen File Photo
EAA is working with builder, owner, and pilot groups to
encourage a major gathering of Burt Rutan-designed aircraft at
AirVenture 2011, and will also create a special parking area for
them on the flightline. Well-known Rutan aircraft designs will also
be on prominent display and serve as a backdrop for various
presentations during the week, as well as featured in the afternoon
air show on Thursday, July 28.
Individuals with Rutan-designed aircraft flying to AirVenture or
who are looking to participate in the Rutan tribute festivities are
asked to e-mail their interest to Rutan2011@eaa.org.
"Burt is certainly an aviation icon and a pioneering visionary in
the homebuilt movement," said Tom Poberezny, EAA and AirVenture
chairman. "Burt has been such an integral part of our convention.
His designs are a staple on the flightline at Oshkosh, and
attendees will marvel at the wide variety of innovation on
display."
EAA's AirVenture Museum will also highlight its several
significant Rutan airplanes in its collection, including the
VariViggen and VariEze prototypes, Amsoil racer, Grizzly, Voyager
fuselage mock-up, Solitaire, Williams V Jet II, and the
SpaceShipOne feathering mock-up. Other activities will include
flying displays, a special program at Theater in the Woods, and
presentations.
SpaceShipOne
More features, programs, and attractions paying tribute to Rutan
will be announced as they are confirmed.
Rutan, a 1998 inductee to the Homebuilders wing of the EAA Hall
of Fame, graduated from Cal Poly in 1965 and went to work for the
Air Force as a flight test project engineer. He founded the Rutan
Aircraft Factory in 1974 to develop experimental aircraft designs
for homebuilders, and then founded Scaled Composites in 1982.
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