If you’ve been around aviation and airplanes for any amount of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard the name Burt Rutan. I recently received a press release from antennaFILMS http://www.antennafilms.com/ about a documentary titled, “Looking Up, Way Up! the Burt Rutan Story”.
Burt Rutan is most recently associated with SpaceShipOne; the world’s first privately built and flown manned craft to reach outer space. And many of you may recall the Voyager in the 1980s as the first airplane to fly around the world without refueling. It’s reported that 45 Rutan designs have flown.
When I think of Burt Rutan I reflect back to the early 1970s when his VariViggen first appeared at Oshkosh. It was unlike any of the other experimental aircraft of that period with a single-engine pusher installation and a canard configuration.
I had the pleasure to meet Burt one time. It was a short by-chance meeting while having a morning coffee at EAA AirVenture a few years ago; the best way to exchange a hello and talk about the airshow with people like Burt.
So what is this new design the SkiGull all about? According to the information I received Burt is apparently planning yet another aviation adventure and it requires yet another unique airplane. This one sentence from the press release sums it up best: He’s building a plane that he plans to be able to take on “an eight-month exploration trip around the world without EVER going to an airport.”
We’ll all be anxiously waiting the unveiling of SkiGull.
To read the above mentioned news visit: http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12057548/burt-rutan-building-skigull-to-explore-the-world
For more information about the documentary film visit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antennafilms/looking-up-way-up-the-burt-rutan-story
