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Burt Rutan

Burt Rutan Quotes

Aerospace Engineering

Burt Rutan is an accomplished aerospace engineer renowned for his contributions to the design and development of private aircraft. Born on June 17, 1943, he is a co-founder of Rutan Aircraft Factory, which is known for its innovative designs and groundbreaking aircraft.

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Famous Burt Rutan Quotes

“By 1931, after a few years' experience of flying scheduled airlines, those planes were operating at roughly 600 times the safety of the space shuttle. I look at safety not in terms of fatalities per passenger-mile, but when you get in and close the door, what is the risk of dying on this flight?”

Years Looks Term Space Risk Doors Dying Safety Miles Flying Flight Planes Airline Passengers Space Shuttle Fatality

Author:Burt Rutan

“I drove an electric car for seven years because of its advanced technology, not because I have any concerns about energy resources. I have none at all. And when environmentalists say that global warming is dangerous, unprecedented and that we'll have a tipping point for atmospheric carbon dioxide, it's just nonsense.”

“I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a lot of fun building airplanes that people could build in their garages. And some 3,000 of those are flying. Of course, one of them is around-the-world Voyager.”

People World Years War Courses Fun Force Air Building Seven Flying Flight Around The World Vietnam Airplane Testing Seven Years Vietnam War Garage Air Force

Author:Burt Rutan

“There was a wonderful little short four-year time period when marvelous things happened. It started in 1908, when the Wright brothers flew in Paris, and everybody said, 'Ooh, hey, I can do that.' There's only a few people that have flown in early 1908. In four years, 39 countries had hundreds of airplanes, thousands of pilots.”

“Within 25 years, virtual reality meetings will be essentially transparent to being there in person. Once we can do this, the idea of climbing into an aircraft, and burning up huge quantities of fossil fuels to propel our bodies and briefcases full of papers, will seem absolutely backward.”

“At various times over 20 years, I did preliminary designs for aircraft like the Stratolaunch. For that whole time I was encouraging us to do something that almost everyone else felt you could not do.”

Years Whole Felt Design Various Aircraft

Author:Burt Rutan

“Space travel is the only technology that is more dangerous and more expensive now than it was in its first year. Fifty years after Yuri Gagarin, the space shuttle ended up being more dangerous and more expensive to fly than those first throwaway rockets, even though large portions of it were reusable. It's absurd.”

Years Firsts Space Technology Dangerous Absurd Expensive Fifty Portions Rockets Space Travel Space Shuttle

Author:Burt Rutan

“In 12 or 15 years, there will be routine, affordable space tourism not just in the U.S. but in a lot of countries.”

Years Country Space Routine Affordable Tourism Space Tourism

Author:Burt Rutan

“Flight out of the atmosphere is a simple thing to do and should have been available to the public twenty years ago. Ten years from now, we will have space tourism where you will be able to see the black sky and the curvature of the earth. It will be the most exciting roller coaster ride you can buy.”

“There will be a new industry, and we are just now in the beginning. I will predict that in twelve or fifteen years there will be tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people, that fly and see that black sky.”

People Years Black Sky Industry Future Twelve Fifteen Predictions Fifteen Years

Author:Burt Rutan

“The next 15 years will see thousands of people leave the atmosphere on suborbital flights. My company's SS2 system might fly 100,000 people by 2024. If it is shown to be highly profitable, perhaps we will see 20,000 people traveling to orbit by 2035, and then thousands to the moon by 2050. If we make a courageous decision, like the program we kicked off for Apollo, we will see our grandchildren in outposts on other planets.”

People Ifs Years Might Next Decision Company Planets Future Moon Program Flight Atmosphere Courageous Predictions Grandchildren Profitable Apollo Orbit Courageous Decisions

Author:Burt Rutan

About the Author

Born: June 17, 1943
Known for: Aerospace Engineering
Quotes: 50

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