Dick Rutan
| Dick Rutan | |
|---|---|
 Dick Rutan standing next to the engine of the XCOR EZ-Rocket | |
| Born |
July 1, 1938 Loma Linda, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Reedley Junior College |
Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Geri Rutan (divorced) Kris Rutan |
| Children | Jill Rutan Hoffman,[1] Holly Rutan |
| Parents | George and Irene Goforth Rutan |
| Relatives |
Burt Rutan Nell Rutan |
| Call-sign | KB6LQS |
Richard Glenn "Dick" Rutan (born July 1, 1938) is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world, non-stop with co-pilot Jeana Yeager. He was born in Loma Linda, California, where he gained an interest in flight at a young age.
Campaign for congress
In 1992 Rutan ran as a conservative Republican against Democratic congressman George Brown, Jr. in California's 42nd congressional district; comprised mostly by the San Bernardino region of southern California and viewed as a swing district. In the Republican primary, Rutan upset San Bernardino County Supervisor Rob Hammock, who had run a strong race against Brown in 1990. In the general election, Rutan ran on a platform that called for reforming congress and lowering taxes. Brown, first elected in 1962, was long known for surviving close elections and prevailed once more with 79,780 votes (50.7%) to Rutan's 69,251 (44%). Fritz Ward, a Libertarian, received 8,424 votes or 5.3% of the vote.[2]
Records
Besides the records Rutan set while flying Voyager, he has also set a number in his personal LongEze, including:
- FAI class C1b distance over a closed course of 7,725.3 km at Mojave on December 15, 1979.[3]
- FAI class C1b distance of 7,344.56 km from Anchorage, Alaska to Grand Turk Island on June 5, 1981.[3]
Awards
- Silver Star
- Distinguished Flying Cross, 5 times
- Air Medal, 16 times
- Purple Heart
- 1981 - Louis Bleriot Award - distance record[4]
- 1986 - Presidential Citizens Medal from President Reagan
- 1986 - Collier Trophy
- 1986 - De la Vaulx Medal
- 1987 - Collier Trophy
- 1987 - Louis Bleriot Award - around-the-world flight
- 1988 - Edward Longstreth Medal of the Franklin Institute[5]
- 2005 - Louis Bleriot Award - longest point-to-point rocket plane flight (XCOR EZ-Rocket)[4]
References
- ↑ http://www.jillrutanhoffman.com/
- ↑
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 FAI database
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 FAI records database
- ↑ "Franklin Laureate Database - Edward Longstreth Medal 1988 Laureates". Franklin Institute. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
External links
- Works by or about Dick Rutan in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Remarks on Presenting Presidential Citizens Medals to the Designer and Crew of the Voyager in Los Angeles, California - December 29, 1986
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