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Long-EZ
The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites. The Long-EZ has a canard (aeronautics), canard layout, a swept wing with wingtip rudders, and a pusher engine and propeller. The tricycle landing gear has fixed main wheels with streamlined spats and a retractable nosewheel. Its predecessor was the VariEze, plans for which were first available to homebuilders in 1976. The prototype Long-EZ, N79RA, first flew on June 12, 1979. Design The Long-EZ was a scaled-up redesign of the Rutan VariEze, VariEze predecessor, allowing for the use of readily available Lycoming aircraft engines instead of the Volkswagen-derived engines or hard-to-find small Continentals for which the VariEze was designed. Changes from the VariEze included a larger main wing with modified Eppler 1230 airfoil and less sweep, larger strake (aviation), strakes containing more fuel and baggage storage, and a slightly wider cabin. The canard uses the same ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burt Rutan
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (; born June 17, 1943) is a retired American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft. He designed the record-breaking Voyager, which in 1986 was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. He also designed the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, which in 2006 set the world record for the fastest (342 mph/551 km/h in 67 hours) and longest (25,766 miles/41,466 km) nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation flight in history. In 2004, Rutan's sub-orbital spaceplane design SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space, winning the Ansari X-Prize that year for achieving the feat twice within a two-week period. With his VariEze and Long-EZ designs, which first flew in 1975 and 1979 respectively, Rutan is responsible for helping popularize both the canard configuration and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Roncz
John Gregory Roncz (25 May 1948 – 27 September 2023) was an American aerodynamicist involved in the development of over 50 different aircraft, ranging from Ultralight aviation, ultralights, round-the world record breakers and military transports, to yachts and a racing car. He was described by Burt Rutan, the prolific aircraft creator, as "the genius of airfoil design". His most famous projects are the Rutan Voyager and the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, which both flew around the world, non-stop and unrefuelled, and are now displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's buildings in Washington, D.C. and Chantilly, Virginia. Early life John Roncz was born to Peter John Roncz and his wife Catherine, nee Scheibelhut, of South Bend, Indiana, who were married in June 1946. Known as P. John Roncz, his father was a co-founder of Maron Products Inc, an engineering company specialising in metal stampings, mainly for the automotive industry. The yo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
VariEze
The Rutan VariEze is a composite, canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. It is a high-performance homebuilt aircraft, hundreds of which have been constructed. The design later evolved into the Long-EZ and other, larger cabin canard aircraft. The VariEze is notable for popularizing the canard configuration and moldless glass cloth composite construction for homebuilt aircraft. Overview Work on the VariEze design, which grew out of Rutan's experience designing and building the VariViggen, began in 1974. The first prototype, designated Model 31 and registered N7EZ, first flew on May 21, 1975 after four months of construction. This aircraft used a Volkswagen engine conversion. Three months later it was shown at Oshkosh where Dick Rutan piloted it. The aircraft was so popular at Oshkosh that Rutan redesigned the aircraft so that it could be sold as a set of plans. A second prototype, the Model 33, N4EZ, built using a larger wing, a Continental O-200 engine, and many o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rutan VariEze
The Rutan VariEze is a glass-reinforced plastic, composite, canard (aeronautics), canard aircraft designed by Burt Rutan. It is a high-performance homebuilt aircraft, hundreds of which have been constructed. The design later evolved into the Rutan Long-EZ, Long-EZ and other, larger cabin canard aircraft. The VariEze is notable for popularizing the canard configuration and moldless glass cloth composite construction for homebuilt aircraft. Overview Work on the VariEze design, which grew out of Rutan's experience designing and building the Rutan VariViggen, VariViggen, began in 1974. The first prototype, designated Model 31 and registered N7EZ, first flew on May 21, 1975 after four months of construction. This aircraft used a Volkswagen air-cooled engine, Volkswagen engine conversion. Three months later it was shown at Oshkosh Airshow, Oshkosh where Dick Rutan piloted it. The aircraft was so popular at Oshkosh that Rutan redesigned the aircraft so that it could be sold as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rutan Aircraft Factory
Scaled Composites (often called simply Scaled) is an American aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman. It is located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. Founded to develop experimental aircraft, the company now focuses on designing and developing concept craft and prototype fabrication processes for aircraft and other vehicles. It is known for unconventional designs, for its use of non-metal, composite materials, and for winning the Ansari X Prize with its experimental spacecraft SpaceShipOne. Company history Scaled Composites was established in 1982 and purchased by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1985, as a result of the collaboration on the Starship project. In 1988, Beech's parent company, Raytheon, sold Scaled back to Rutan, who then sold it to Wyman-Gordon. After Wyman-Gordon was acquired by Precision Castparts Corp., Rutan and ten investors re-acquired the company as Scaled Composites, LLC. No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites (often called simply Scaled) is an American aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman. It is located at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, United States. Founded to develop experimental aircraft, the company now focuses on designing and developing concept craft and prototype fabrication processes for aircraft and other vehicles. It is known for unconventional designs, for its use of non-metal, composite materials, and for winning the Ansari X Prize with its experimental spacecraft SpaceShipOne. Company history Scaled Composites was established in 1982 and purchased by the Beech Aircraft Corporation in 1985, as a result of the collaboration on the Starship project. In 1988, Beech's parent company, Raytheon, sold Scaled back to Rutan, who then sold it to Wyman-Gordon. After Wyman-Gordon was acquired by Precision Castparts Corp., Rutan and ten investors re-acquired the company as Scaled Composites, LLC ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Rutan
Richard Glenn Rutan (July 1, 1938 – May 3, 2024) was an American military aviator and officer, as well as a record-breaking test pilot who in 1986 piloted the Voyager aircraft on the first non-stop, non-refueled around-the-world flight with co-pilot Jeana Yeager. He was the older brother of famed aerospace designer Burt Rutan, whose many earlier original designs Dick piloted on class record-breaking flights, including Voyager. Life and career Rutan was born and raised in Loma Linda, California, where he gained an interest in aviation at a young age. He learned to fly at age 15, taking his first solo flight on his 16th birthday, and later attended Reedley Junior College while waiting to report for the military. At Reedley College, he worked with aircraft engines toward getting an official FAA power plant license (also referred to as an Aviation Maintenance Technician). Through his interest in piloting, he went on to earn commercial, instrument, multiengine, seaplane a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canard (aeronautics)
In aeronautics, a canard is a wing configuration in which a small forewing or foreplane is placed forward of the main wing of a fixed-wing aircraft or a weapon. The term "canard" may be used to describe the aircraft itself, the wing configuration, or the foreplane.Clancy, L. J. (1975). ''Aerodynamics'', Pitman (UK), Halsted (US), 1975. Pages 292-3.. Canard wings are also extensively used in guided missiles and smart bombs. The term "canard" arose from the appearance of the Santos-Dumont 14-bis of 1906, which was said to be reminiscent of a duck (''canard'' in French) with its neck stretched out in flight. Despite the use of a canard surface on the first powered aeroplane, the Wright Flyer of 1903, canard designs were not built in quantity until the appearance of the Saab Viggen jet fighter in 1967. The aerodynamics of the canard configuration are complex and require careful analysis. Rather than use the conventional tailplane configuration found on most aircraft, an a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
XCOR EZ-Rocket
The XCOR EZ-Rocket was a test platform for the XCOR XR-4A3 rocket propulsion system. The airplane was a modified Rutan Long-EZ, with the propeller replaced by first one, then later a pair of pressure-fed regeneratively cooled liquid-fueled rocket engines and an underslung fuel tank. The engines were restartable in flight, and were contained within Kevlar armor shielding. The EZ-Rocket was registered as an experimental aircraft. Development and history The first flight took place on July 21, 2001, flown by test pilot Dick Rutan. On a typical flight, the EZ-Rocket took off on rockets, gained altitude for a minute or so, then switched off the rockets and glided to a dead stick landing. The vehicle actually flew better during dead stick landings than a standard Long-EZ due to lack of drag from a stationary pusher propeller — the vehicle's aerodynamics were cleaner in spite of its belly tank. It was also lighter due to the lack of a piston engine (the rocket propulsion s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norton NR642
The Norton NR642 (Originally the Aerotor 90) is a British aircraft engine that was designed and produced by Norton Motorcycle Company in the 1990s for use in light aircraft (particularly by amateur constructors) and UAVs.Lambert 1991, p.709 Design and development The NR642 is a twin-rotor Wankel engine. It is a displacementMoll 1989, p.20 petrol engine design, with a heavy-duty 2.94:1 reduction gearbox. Cooling is provided by a fan for the rotors, plus liquid cooling for the housing. It was designed to meet JAR-E and FAR 23 regulatory requirements. Norton aimed for 1,500 hours running time between overhauls but was initially specifying 200-300 hours. The NR642 first flew in late 1989, with two units installed on a Rutan Long-EZ to create what its builder called a "Twin EZ"."Rotary Power by Norton Motors", p.20 Applications *Aircorp Bushmaster *Rutan Long-EZ The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
E-Racer
The Dickey E-Racer, also called the Sierra Delta E-Racer, is an American homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Shirl Dickey and produced by Shirl Dickey Enterprises of Phoenix, Arizona. It was first flown in 1984. When it was available the aircraft was supplied in the form of plans for amateur construction, with some parts available to facilitate faster construction.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 146. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. Downey, Julia: ''1999 Plans Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 16, Number 1, January 1999, page 57. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851 Design and development The aircraft is based upon the Rutan Long-EZ. It features a cantilever mid-wing canard layout with tip rudders, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy, fully retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. The aircraft is made from E-glass. Its span wing has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rocket Racing League
The Rocket Racing League was a racing league that planned to use rocket-powered aircraft to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. Founded in 2005, the league made its first public flights in 2010 and was working to begin regular racing seasons. The "Rocket Racers" were slated to compete in the air and on a virtual racetrack easily viewed by a live audience as well as projected on large screen and handheld electronic displays. Three prototype canard-style ''Rocket Racer'' aircraft were built between 2006 and 2010. The league had planned to hold its inaugural race season in 2008 with four races, but encountered financial difficulties that delayed fielding of ''Rocket Racers'' by the six teams that had been previously announced. With the addition of venture capital funding in mid-2009, technology development continued and one exhibition occurred in 2010, with another round of plans for an inaugural season of races in 2011. The 2011 races were never scheduled and the league was def ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
