19th International Symposium, Creativity in Economics, Arts and Science, Pfäffikon / Schwyz, Switzerland, 2006

Topic: Leonardo’s Dream.
This is a dream as old as mankind - the yearning to weightlessly glide across the skies.

Chairman: Gottlieb Guntern

Speaker:

Burt Rutan
world-famous constructor of aircrafts androckets, inventor, entrepreneur
• Rutan Aircraft Factory: development and
  construction of revolutionary and visionary
  aircrafts and rockets
• Virgin Galactic founded by Burt Rutan and
  Sir Richard Branson: new industry for
  private space travel Mojavi Desert,
  California / USA California, USA

Introduction by Gottlieb GUNTERN

Burt Rutan is seen as a genius, a pioneer in the true sense of American self-perception: he, the David of aviation with comparatively small means, steals the show of the big companies in aircraft manufacturing and even NASA.
His visionary aircrafts have been making headlines for three decades and are setting world records one after the other. His SpaceShipOne even initiated the new industry space travel.
Before the end of this decade Virgin Galactic with Burt Rutan and Sir Richard Branson will enable private Space-line passengers to travel into orbit.
• Raised in California
• 1965 graduated from California Polytechnic
  University
• 1965 – 1972 US Air Force test pilot-engineer
• 1972 director of Bede Test Center Bede Aircraft
  in Newton, Kansas
• 1974 moves with his family to Mojave, CA founded
  the Rutan Aircraft Factory, Mojave
• 1982 founded Scaled Composites; 130 employees;
  developing unconventional aircraft types;
  on average 1 prototype per year
• 1986 Voyager: first plane (two-pilot crew)
  to circumnavigate the world non-stop,
  without refuelling
• 1998 Proteus: two-engined jet, high altitude
  research aircraft.
• 2003 SpaceShipOne, the first privately-developed,
  manned spacecraft breaks the sound barrier
  on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s
  flight
• 2004 White Knight: two-engined plane that carried
  SpaceShipOne to an altitude of 15 km and released
  it there (photo left). SpaceShipOne flew into space
  (above 100 km) on 21 June, then won the
  $ 10-million Ansari-X Prize with two flights within
  5 days in October 4th
• 2005 GlobalFlyer: first solo aircraft, piloted by
  Steve Fossett, to circumnavigate the world
  non-stop (1–3 March), without refuelling
• End of July 2005: founded with Richard Branson
  the private space travel company «Virgin Galactic»,
  it will operate 5 spacecrafts called SpaceShipTwo

Download
• General Introduction Gottlieb GUNTERN