[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BURT RUTAN

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                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Elbert Leander ``Burt'' Rutan, a renowned aerospace engineer, who 
celebrated his 65th birthday on June 17, 2008.
  Burt was born in Portland, Oregon, on June 17, 1943, though he was 
raised in Dinuba, California. As a young boy, Burt produced award-
winning model airplane designs; a prodigy in the making. When Burt was 
sixteen, he obtained his pilot's license and went on to receive his 
aeronautical engineering degree from California Polytechnic State 
University, San Luis Obispo. Soon after, the United States Air Force 
hired Burt as a civilian flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base 
in California.
  Throughout the years, Burt has established himself as a leader in 
innovative aircraft design. With the start of his own private company, 
Rutan Aircraft Factory, based in Mojave, California, Burt began to 
market sleek, light, and efficient aircraft such as the VariEze, 
Quickie, and the Long-EZ; it was during this time that the concept for 
the Voyager was generated. Burt's passion for aeronautical engineering 
soon found him leading Scaled Composites, the world's most productive 
aerospace prototype development company. Some of the most innovative 
and successful aircraft developed by Scaled Composites have been the 
Triumph jet for Beechcraft, the CM-44 UAV for California Microwave, the 
Scarab Model 324 drone for Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical, and the 
McDonnell Douglas DC-X single stage rocket structure. His designs 
utilized lightweight composite materials, rendering him with copious 
amounts of success and praise for his entrepreneurial skills and 
insightful knowledge on the subject to which he has dedicated his life.
  One of Burt's most famous designs, the Voyager aircraft, piloted by 
Burt's brother, Dick Rutan, set a record-breaking flight around the 
world without stopping to refuel in 1981. Model 218 Proteus, a tandem-
wing high-endurance aircraft designed by Burt, holds several altitude 
records. SpaceShipOne gained Burt significant recognition as it was the 
first privately-built, funded, and flown aircraft to enter space in 
June of 2004. This feat was acknowledged with the Ansari X Prize, while 
his team was honored with the 2004 Collier Trophy later that year, 
awarded to them by the National Aeronautic Association.
  Today, SpaceShipOne, Burt and his team's spacecraft that launched men 
successfully into space, is displayed in the Smithsonian National Air 
and Space Museum's ``Milestones of Flight'' gallery in Washington D.C. 
Other prestigious awards given in recognition of Burt's aerospace 
expertise include the Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design, the 
British Gold Medal for Aeronautics, ``Engineer of the Year'' by Design 
News, the Presidential Citizens Medal presented by President Ronald 
Reagan, and the Lindbergh Award.
  As Burt has soared through his creative and competitive career, he 
has been commended for his innovative efforts. His maverick aerospace 
expertise continues to be highly sought after. Today, Burt and his 
company, Scaled Composites, are currently engineering SpaceShipTwo for 
Virgin Galactic with the prospect of offering suborbital trips into 
space by 2009. Burt has never given up on his dreams and he continues 
``looking up, way up.''

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