Talk:Rutan Voyager/Archive 1

Personal lives
I heard that the pilots were no longer on speaking terms by the end of the voyage around the world. Are they friends again? It's been years. 207.250.40.114 19:14, 31 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I dunno, but I think Dick Rutan is partially deaf in one ear as a result of the flight. Perhaps Dick just couldn't hear Jeana? ;)

-Joseph


 * They were in a relationship, but were already nearly broken up before the test flight. SamuelRiv (talk) 16:26, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

"Scaled Composites"?
The title of this article is "Scaled Composites Voyager" but Scaled's web page on the aircraft, specifically says:
 * Although the Voyager was not a Scaled Composites project, it was designed
 * by our present CEO Burt Rutan. It was constructed by the Rutan Aircraft
 * Factory and Voyager Aircraft.

I suggest renaming this article, e.g. "Voyager (aircraft)". - Coneslayer 17:45, 2005 Mar 4 (UTC)

Engine details
I re-worked the bit about the engines, because it didn't mention how they were used (one continuously, the other as required for takeoff and climb). The model numbers came from this page. - Coneslayer 17:59, 2005 Mar 4 (UTC)

Who Built Voyager
As I understand it, Burt Rutan designed the aircraft, but neither he nor Scaled built it. It was built by Voyager Aircraft, a corporation started by Dick and Jeana and mostly staffed by volunteers. Bruce was one of the few paid employees of Voyager Aircraft.

The line between Voyager Aircraft and Scaled Composites blurs at times. They started building it at Scaled, but later rented a large hangar on the Mojave Airport and moved into their own space. Many of the major volunteers, like Mike & Sally Melvill, were employees of Scaled Composites but were volunteering at Voyager.

Anyway, I think it's worth mentioning that Voyager was not built by Scaled Composites. Scaled certainly had the resources to construct Voyager, but the agreement between Dick and Burt was that Burt would design it, and Dick & Jeana would build it.

Voyager Aircraft was at Mojave before Scaled Composites.

The fligt left CA and proceeded west, past Hawaii, past the Phillipenes, over India, over Africa, towards Brazil, over the ismus of Central America up the coast of CA and back (landing Edwards). Priva (talk) 13:29, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Which way round
Which way round did they go. The article doesn't make this clear, SqueakBox 03:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Westwards. AnonMoos 17:21, 29 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Thanks Eddygazilion 14:42, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Renaming proposal
Given this edit and its subsequent reversion, I did some checking, and found that there is clear evidence that Voyager was not built by Scaled, although Scaled personnel were involved in it. Because of this, I'm formally proposing renaming it. For the new name, I fell the Rutan Voyager is most appropriate, as it was a Rutan design, built under the RAF system, and conforms to other wikipedia articles, such as Rutan VariViggen and Rutan Long-EZ. The building of the aircraft was, in large part, a volunteer effort, and one of the many outpourings of community togetherness that is a hallmark of life at Mojave, and by attributing the aircraft to Scaled when they, as a company (which was, at the time, owned by Raytheon/Beechcraft), didn't build it, is an injustice to those who worked so hard for it. Thoughts, anyone? Akradecki 01:26, 7 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I am completely against the renaming of this plane. The project, of which I acted as a factotum project manager, was NEVER the Rutan Voyager and should not be renamed. The project was the Voyager Round The World Flight Project from the start. Burt rarely came to assist us at the Voyager hanger, funded by Dick and Jeana, manned by Dick & Jeana and Volunteers (except me) - all these details are on record and lodged at the Smithsonian who call the plane by its proper name. Please do not make up names to suit Wikipedia.Priva (talk) 13:33, 3 August 2010 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia is not claiming that the aircraft's name is "Rutan Voyager". That is the title of the article. As Akradecki (then a mechanin at the Mojave port) stated, the aircraft was a Rutan design, and matches other article titles of Rutan-designed aircraft. - BilCat (talk) 16:00, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Radicality of Concept
I'm wondering at the design of this aircraft with its very unusual shape. When they were thinking, "what would it take to fly an airplane around the world without refueling?", did they consider that commercial airliners already carry a full payload a third of the way around the world plus? That if one were to carry a cargo of fuel tanks, would its range attain to 25,000 miles? In other words, what was the fundamental design problem? Seems to me a relevant question to address in the article. Friendly Person (talk) 00:08, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I looked around for data and did some calcs; the Boeing 777-200LR carries 147,000 kg of fuel and has a range of 17370 km, just under half the circumference of Earth. I suppose there'd be no commercial value in a larger aircraft range. It has a max takeoff weight of 347500 kg, and weighs 145150 kg empty, diff there is 202000 kg. If that were all fuel it otta have a range of 24000 km, 60% of the circumference. When the Voyager was built there wasn't any 777. I don't have similar numbers for other aircraft of that time but somebody probably does. Friendly Person (talk) 01:23, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Circumnavigation Record Still Not Broken in Air Miles
By my calculations, no one has circumnavigated the earth in air miles. The record flights thus far, though impressive achievements, have relied upon large tailwinds, flying eastbound, to circumnavigate the world. The equatorial circumference is 24,901.55 miles (21,638.86 nm) - and meridional circumference (aka polar) is 24,859.82 miles (21,602.59 nm). Flying such a zero-wind equivalent distance should be what is required to be the first to meaningfully circumnavigate the earth with a powered airplane. GlobalFlyer came very close in air miles, but as the saying goes, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." If someone feels they can show that either GlobalFlyer or Voyager, in any of their flights, flew over 21,600 nm in air miles, please explain your calculation (this request extends to Burt Rutan, as well).Bdmwiki (talk) 06:15, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

This flight was westerly, not easterly. 205.175.240.243 (talk) 19:45, 10 May 2016 (UTC)

How Many Miles ?
Re: "The aircraft flew westerly 26,366 statute miles (42,432 km; the FAI accredited distance is 40,212 km)"

Could an explanation be added to address why the FAI accredited distance is 2220 km (1379 miles) less than how far the "aircraft flew westerly"?192.249.47.204 (talk) 20:18, 2 March 2016 (UTC)