Burt Rutan's Motivation As A Boy

By Dan Billingsley

"Shoot for the stars" is often an expression used by many just in passing, however, when Burt Rutan (picture, right) says it, you can take it to the bank that he means it. Rutan, Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Scaled Composites, is looking for the children of today to learn how to dream. "Dream of things you want, that you think are impossible, and spend your life pursuing those dreams," Rutan said.

Burt grew up in a time when the space race was at its peak. The mystique and energy that the space program radiated triggered not just a spark, but a raging inferno in the mind of young Rutan. He spoke of the time he was sitting in front of the TV (in 1955) watching Walt Disney and Wernher von Braun talk about building a rocket that could take a man to the Moon. Rutan said "I remember getting very excited."

Walt Disney And Werner Von Braun

Rutan is interested in getting the kids of today excited just as he remembers feeling as a young boy, and believes there is a window of opportunity between the ages of 3 and 14 to hit the right button. He spoke of the people that inspired him, such as the above-mentioned Wernher von Braun, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes, to name just a few on his list. The common thread Burt found between these great men was they were all young when the motivation and creativity started to un-lock. Rutan expressed "We need to motivate and get kids excited to carry the innovative spirit into the next century."

At a young age Rutan got involved in building model planes. It was something he enjoyed and immersed himself into, and winning awards for it was just the icing on the cake. As many of us well know, Rutan never slowed down dreaming the dream and pushing the envelope for design and innovation.  "The most rewarding thing you will ever do is achieve something others said were impossible," said Rutan.

Kids of today are no different than those of yesterday… they all need to find that one thing that excites them. Finding their dreams, thinking outside the box, and then striving to achieve those dreams are things important for all kids to experience.

FMI: www.scaled.com