Dick Rutan
Quick Summary
Dick Rutan is an American aviator best known for co-piloting the Voyager aircraft on its historic non-stop, unrefueled flight around the world in 1986. Alongside Jeana Yeager, Rutan piloted the experimental plane for nine days, covering over 25,000 miles. The Voyager, designed by Dick's brother, Burt Rutan, was constructed from lightweight composite materials and carried an immense amount of fuel, weighing four times as much as the aircraft itself at takeoff. This incredible feat surpassed previous records for unbroken flight and cemented Rutan's place in aviation history.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Voyager
Piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the craft took off on December 14 from Edwards Air Force Base, 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Los Angeles, and landed at that same base 9 days later after completing a course of 25,012 miles (40,251 km) around the…
Read MorePiloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the craft took off on December 14 from Edwards Air Force Base, 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Los Angeles, and landed at that same base 9 days later after completing a course of 25,012 miles (40,251 km) around the…
Read More
airplaneUse of composite materials… aircraft, in which his brother Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager made a memorable nonstop, nonrefueled flight around the world in 1986.
Read More… aircraft, in which his brother Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager made a memorable nonstop, nonrefueled flight around the world in 1986.
Read More