June 20, 20205 yr Your post made me look up Rutan a bit...the Burt Rutan aircraft are amazing, indeed...! Actually, during my post on Alcock and Brown's transatlantic flight, I'd read about Burt Rutan. On 2–3 July 2005, adventurer Steve Fossett and (a United Airlines Captain) Mark Rebholz had recreated Alcock and Brown's flight in a replica of the Vickers Vimy aeroplane. But, of relevance, here, is another Burt Rutan built plane: the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. The single-engine jet aircraft was owned by pilot Steve Fossett (and sponsored by Richard Branson). It was used by Steve Fossett to break three of the seven absolute world records for fixed-wing aircraft. For example, in 2005, he made the first solo, nonstop unrefueled circumnavigation of the world in an airplane, in 67 hours. And. In 2006, he again circumnavigated the globe nonstop and unrefueled, in 76 hours and 45 minutes, in the same GlobalFlyer (crossing the Atlantic a second time), setting the record for the longest flight by any aircraft in history with a distance of 25,766 statute miles.... I was now scanning all the Rutan planes, a bit....the plane (N977JT) that you show here, seems to be the Rutan Long-EZ. In 1997, Dick Rutan and Mike Melvill flew two Rutan Long-EZ aircraft that they had built, side-by-side around the world, what was called "around the world in 80 nights"...! Anyway, thanks for the post...!! Both Burt Rutan and his aircraft are a tribute aeronautical engineering...! Edited June 20, 20205 yr by P_7878
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