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| Photo by SuperConnie |
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| Photos from Garage Built by Burt Rutan |
Like many others before him the thrill of flight captured his imagination. Rutan began designing the plane that would be named VariViggen then and there. First came extensive wind tunnel testing and then model experiments. One of Rutan’s more famous quotes is, “Everything looks nonsensical before it works.” And indeed the photo at right suggests that.
In order to perform his experiments Rutan suspended a true, one-fifth scale model on a test rig attached to the luggage rack on top of his station wagon. Clearly an unusual sight the rig allowed him to measure air speed, angle of attack, lift, drag, sideslip, side force, roll moment and elevator-aileron-rudder positions. An extra data channel measured structural load. By 1968 the experiments had concluded and the construction of the VariViggen began in the garage of his Lancaster, California, home.
Burt Rutan had decided against going for optimum speed. Instead, he wanted plenty of wing area for safe, docile, low-speed flying. The VariViggen boasted a slab-sided fuselage and flat-bottomed wings for ease of building. Named after the Swedish fighter plane, the Saab 37 Viggen, which had partially inspired his design, the main structure was made of plywood and was easily built. Spruce was used for spars and longerons, and aircraft plywood for the formers, ribs, and skin. Lightweight Ceconite covered the plywood skin and was finished with polyurethane. The roomy cockpit sat two pilots in tandem. Incorporating modern fighter-cockpit layout, it afforded really terrific visibility from both seats. The fully retractable landing gear was operated electrically along with the trim bungee and the wing reflex. The VariViggen was powered by a 150-hp, four-cylinder Lycoming engine.
It took 4 years until April 1972 before Rutan felt comfortable enough to test fly his prototype designated Model 27. The production version was Model 32. Nine weeks were spent test flying the prototype, improving the engine operation, gathering stability and performance data, and adding a new cowling and spinner. By the time the VariViggen landed at the convention in Oshkosh in 1972 the prototype had logged 75 hours. After Oshkosh Burt used the VariViggen as his personal airplane, logging over 150 hours in the prototype.
Rutan Aircraft Factory sold over 600 plan sets for the VariViggen to homebuilders, and eventually about 20 of the aircraft were built.
The Museum of Flying in Santa Monica is fortunate to have one of them hand signed by Burt Rutan himself!.
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| Photo by SuperConnie |
See the VariViggen for yourself and experience “the most beautiful dream that has haunted the heart of man”. –Louis Bleriot
This VeriViggen is on display at the Museum of Flying, Santa Monica, CA
