In 1974, he moved to Mojave “because it was cheap enough” and opened Rutan Aircraft Factory on a $15,000 loan from his father to develop do-it-yourself kits for hobbyists to build small planes ...

In 1974 he started his first company, Rutan Airplane Factory, which designed and sold kits for home-built small airplanes. A series of aircraft he designed at RAF became popular build-at-home kits ...

Gillen found the kit for his plane in the Experimental Aircraft Assn.’s Sport Aviation magazine. He liked that its fuel tanks could hold 57 gallons — other small planes can hold about 40 gallons.

On December 23, 1986, an airplane landed at Edwards AFB. This by itself wouldn’t mean much, but this particular airplane had just written history. Piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the ...

Dick Rutan died on May 3, 2024 at the age of 85 after a long struggle with the consequences of Long COVID. He will be sorely missed by the aviation community and countless others, but his ...

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - Thousands of planes are arriving in Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture, and some will have a little extra flair. AirVenture workers are proud to have Burt Rutan aircraft for ...

Dick Rutan, who in 1986 commanded the first aircraft to make a nonstop flight around the world without refueling — an aviation milestone whose ingenuity and daring recalled the heroic do-it ...