Congratulations, Voyager!
The Flight
Just days before this issue went to the printer we had the good fortune to watch on TV the landing of this fantastic plane upon completion of its record-breaking around-the-world, nonstop, non-refueling flight. To pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager and to designer Burt Rutan's organization and volunteers, we offer a hearty well done.
Burt Rutan and earlier designs
Did you know that Burt Rutan used to be very active in modeling competitions? You might have guessed it from some of the characteristics of earlier designs he has given us. Examples include:
- Vari-Eze
- VariViggen
- Quickie
- Defiant
- Long-EZ
- Lotus Microlight
- Vantage
- Beech Starship
—and now the Voyager.
Construction and materials
Construction of the Voyager is as unique as its configuration. Wing spars are solid, oven-cured carbon graphite, and skins are very thin carbon-graphite sheets over an oven-cured Nomex paper honeycomb. Also used was Kevlar/fiberglass in an epoxy matrix.
The plane's empty weight of 1,858 pounds and the wing's aspect ratio of 33.8:1 point out vividly how low weight was achieved without sacrificing strength. Judicious use of strong, lightweight materials was required, and bonding agents were also important.
Materials used included:
- Oven-cured carbon graphite (spars and skins)
- Nomex paper honeycomb (core)
- Kevlar/fiberglass in epoxy matrix
Adhesives and assembly
An adhesive very familiar to modelers, Satellite City's Hot Stuff and Super T, was used extensively in constructing the trailing edges and ailerons, and to secure wiring bundles, fuel and vent lines, and for attaching fuselage windows. Hot Stuff was used in many places where accessibility was a problem or when instant bonding was needed.
Conclusion
The whole Voyager adventure was planned and executed by a small band of key people, many volunteers, and practically no corporate sponsorship. It is an American dream come true.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
