Burt Rutan Documentary to Feature All-New Airplane Project
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Burt Rutan works on his latest design in his garage while being filmed by Scott B of antennaFILMS. -
Homebuilding legend Burt Rutan at work in his garage at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
February 25, 2015 - Aviation legend Burt Rutan, designer of iconic homebuilt aircraft like the VariEze and Long-EZ, and visionary behind the groundbreaking Voyager and SpaceShipOne, is building a new airplane! And antennaFILMS, which created an award-winning television documentary about SpaceShipOne, is producing a feature length documentary titled, “Looking Up, Way Up! The Burt Rutan Story,” that will include extensive coverage of Rutan’s latest aircraft project, which he’s building in his Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, garage.
The documentary will focus on the maverick designer’s legacy and contributions to aviation, said Scott B, co-director and partner at antennaFILMS. “Burt is building a really cool plane,” he said. “I can’t reveal much about the plane, but it will be a game changer. It’ll do things no plane has ever done before.”
B describes Rutan as one of the greatest innovators of our time who helped revolutionize the aviation and aerospace industry, and whose accomplishments and story will inspire young engineers and airplane enthusiasts for years to come.
B and co-director Sandy Guthrie shared a Peabody Award for Excellence and a Cine Golden Eagle Award for their 2004 Discovery Channel documentary “Black Sky: The Race For Space” documenting Rutan and his team winning the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE with SpaceShipOne.
To support the documentary, the filmmakers launched a Kickstarter campaign this week and are seeking support from Burt’s fans and the aviation community as he works toward finishing and test-flying the new plane. Learn more about the project.
EAA announced last week that Rutan, EAA Lifetime 26033, would attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 to participate in the 40th anniversary celebration of his VariEze design.
