Rutan Sets Space Flight Records

Burt Rutan, the aviation designer and innovator whose appearances at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh are among the most popular activities during the event, will make his 2004 Oshkosh presentations after setting several civilian space flight records in his continuing efforts to capture the $10 million ANSARI X-PRIZE.

The Experimental Aircraft Association's 52nd annual fly-in gathering, which last year had an estimated attendance of 770,000, will be held at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh on July 27-August 2.  Rutan's appearances this year will coincide with the event's 2004 theme, "Launching the Second Century of Flight."

On May 13, Rutan's company, Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., completed another successful test of key systems on its "SpaceShipOne" reusable launch vehicle (RLV) and its carrier aircraft, "White Knight." This flight, in which SpaceShipOne reached 212,000 feet above the earth's surface, marks an additional milestone for the innovative aerospace design team in its ongoing efforts to complete the first non-government manned space flight.

"Each year, many people come to EAA AirVenture just to see the newest developments and hear about the latest concepts from Burt Rutan," said Tom Poberezny, EAA President and AirVenture Chairman.  "Burt has wowed AirVenture audiences with amazing aircraft such as the Voyager, Proteus and Boomerang in the past, so we're eagerly anticipating his presentations on his spaceflight efforts."

Rutan is scheduled to be the featured guest at an EAA AirVenture evening program, titled "Fun at Mojave," on Thursday, July 29.  In addition, he will host several other forums throughout the weeklong event.

Scaled Composites' suborbital space effort, the "Tier One Program," has financial backing from Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft and current CEO of Vulcan Inc.  It is one of two dozen teams from seven countries vying for the ANSARI X PRIZE, which calls for launching a three-passenger craft to 328,000 feet twice within two weeks.
That altitude generally is considered the boundary where space begins, although the U.S. Air Force gives pilots astronaut wings if they go above 50 miles, or 264,000 feet.

The first team to complete the task by the end of this year wins $10 million, a purse set by the X-Prize Foundation, the St. Louis-based sponsor of the competition. The foundation was created to push development of private reusable manned launch vehicles. One key restriction is that the rocket must be built and operated without any government funds or involvement.

Rutan has not yet indicated that he will bring SpaceShipOne or White Knight to EAA AirVenture in 2004, but he has traditionally brought his latest designs to Oshkosh as soon as practically feasible.

EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is the world's premier aviation event and EAA's yearly membership convention.  For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or www.eaa.org.  EAA AirVenture information is also available through the World Wide Web at www.airventure.org.