BURT RUTAN - REINVENTING THE PLANE

Vera Foster Rollo, Ph.D., Maryland Hist. Press, 1991

This book contains a lot of interesting information about Burt Rutan, his life, and his airplanes. Much of the information is taken directly from the Canard Pusher newsletters produced by Rutan Aircraft Factory, but there is some interesting information obtained via interview. However, the author obviously did not proof-read her book before publishing it. Grammar and spelling errors abound throughout, including incomplete sentences, where the reader is left hanging as the author starts a new sentence and new idea. The book itself is also organized in a very confusing and nonlinear manner.

MOLDLESS COMPOSITE HOMEBUILT SANDWICH AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION

Burt Rutan, Rutan Acft., 2005 (4th ed.)

Rutan's 30-year-old classic is still "the" reference publication par excellence for all those who plan to built their own composite homebuilt. It is the manual still used by Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites to train new employees. It was originally written as a construction guide for Rutan Aircraft Factory's VariEze, Long-EZ, and Solitaire builders. This oversized manual is high on technique and low on theory. It presents in a practical manner, the basics of working with composites (glass, resins, foam cores, and fillers) and then offers a series of simple in-shop exercises to develop and practice your skills. For anyone considering working with composites, this is the first thing you should have. The 4th edition released in 2005 takes into account a number of necessary updates, based on experience from builders.

COMPLETE GUIDE TO RUTAN HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT

Don & Julia Downie, Tab Books, Inc., 1981 (hardbd.), 1984 (paperback)

Everything about those unique and exciting homebuilt planes you can build in your own garage, right now !, An excellent source for study and poignent research material for students and academics, this book delves into this subject with fresh ideas and thoughts, a good read. The paperback edition is profusely illustrated with black & white photos.

BURT RUTAN: AIRCRAFT DESIGNER
(Innovators series)

Kris Hirschmann, KidHaven Press, 2006

New book for children to be published in November 2006.

OSHKOSH MEMORIES

Jill Rutan Hoffman, Writers Club, 2000

Oshkosh Memories depicts the common passion for aviation that bonds EAA members and aviation buffs and draws them to the annual gathering in Oshkosh Wisconsin, known as AirVenture Oshkosh.The reader shares in the experiences of celebrities and devoted attendees of the "World''s Greatest Fly-In". From the first-timer to the old-timer, airshow performer to homebuilder the thoroughly entertaining stories will touch all of your emotions as you become a part of the Experimental Aircraft Association''s "annual family reunion".

About the author

Jill Rutan Hoffman is Dick Rutan's daughter. In addition to being a wife and mother, Jill lives her own dreams as an aviation writer and private pilot and actively supports her husband's exciting career as a test pilot in the United States Air Force.

MY FAVORITE FLYING MACHINES
An Article from Boy's Life (online download)

Dick Rutan, Boy Scouts of America, 2003

"From the "Banana" I flew with my family to my Air Force fighter jet to my record-setting Old Blue, great planes have always been part of my life. When the editors of Boys' Life asked me to choose my favorite aircraft, it was not an easy decision. Over my 45-year career as a pilot, it seems I have flown them all—from the Piper Cub I learned to fly as a teenager to the twice—-supersonic jet fighter I flew in the Air Force. I might tease and say my favorite aircraft is the last one I landed safely in. But if I had to choose one, it would be my Long-EZ..."

Rutan describes the features of his plane collections, notably his personal Long-EZ-B registered N169SH and nicknamed Old Blue. The plane is strong due to its composite construction and it does not corrode and can fly in very turbulent weather. This digital document is an article from Boys' Life, most recently published by Boy Scouts of America on May 31, 2003.

CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS (online download)

Biography of Dick Rutan

This digital document, covering the life and work of Dick Rutan, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale.

VOYAGER

Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan with Phil Patton, Knopf, 1987

On the morning of December 23, 1986, Yeager and Rutan, man and wife, set down their one-of-a-kind, home-built airplane, Voyager, at the base in California where, little more than nine days earlier, they had begun their nonstop flight around the worlda 25,000-mile-plus adventure they describe in dramatically human terms in this richly illustrated book. They tell their story in alternating and nicely dovetailed this-is-how-it-was first-person pieces. More than half the book focuses on the several years before the flight. The intrepid pair, who "didn't know what we were getting ourselves into," met at an airshow, he a Vietnam flier of 105 missions, she both a pilot and a horse-trainer. They shared the dream of the flight, fell in love, married and went on to see their know-how and courage tested almost beyond endurance in the voyage that more than once nearly ended in disaster.

FLYING NON-STOP AROUND THE WORLD

Laurie Rozakis,
Blackbirch Press, 1994

This children's book is from a series focusing on teams who have succeeded by combining their individual talents. The writing is simple and contains the necessary facts and dates, but also conveys enough detail about these people's lives to make them seem real to young readers. Perhaps more importantly, the texts show how the partners began small. By looking closely at the special things each member of the team contributed to reach their goals, young readers will understand what it took to make such partnerships work.

THE RUTAN VOYAGER (Great Adventure Series)

I. Goold
Rourke Pub Group, 1988

This out of print children's book describes the planning and historic flight of the Voyager, which carried Richard Rutan and Jeana Yeager in the first nonstop flight around the world without refueling.

Help me to update this page! If you know of any other Rutan-related publication that is or has been available, please write: bispro@online.fr