Rutan Boomerang

In an age where design by committee to traditional standards is common, one modern designer stands out and has upset that trend in no uncertain manner. Burt Rutan has made a habit of designing and building unconventional aircraft that go way beyond tradition to produce outstanding performance at an economical cost. His latest personal aircraft, dubbed the 'Boomerang' because of its strange asymmetrical and swept forward wing planform, debuted at the EAA convention at Oshkosh in 1996. To say its arrival created a stir would be a gross understatement.

A twin-engined machine with a 36.7 foot wingspan that defies virtually every concept of modern design philosophy, it outperforms virtually any comparable aircraft, even those with more than twice the horsepower. It is said to fly easily and safely with either engine out. Let's take a look at this strangely configured machine.

Looking at the three view, the first impression may be that something is oddly missing or distorted. The wing sweeps forward from the center line of the single boom and the dihedral centers in the fuselage. The engines are one 210 HP Lycoming on the fuselage and a 200 HP on the single boom. These engines are temporary because Rutan's intent is to install Michael Zoches 300 HP turbocharged diesel engines when they become available. Propeller planes are staggered fore and aft by about two feet. Landing gear is unusual as well, with the right main gear mounted further back than the left and retracting forward while the left main retracts forward. The nose gear is mounted in the fuselage well off the centerline of anything.

Rutan aircraft have virtually all been of composite construction and this one is no exception. Mostly carbon graphite/epoxy only wing tips and vertical fins are fiberglass/epoxy to enclose all antennas. The structure is built using a new 'wound filament' process that may revolutionize future aircraft construction. The entire fuselage was laid up in one day complete with window openings, hard points, and door openings. The fuselage is designed for cabin pressurization as well. Cockpit layout is for the pilot in the right seat with four staggered passenger seats and a strange lack of instrumentation. A fold down 'glove box' door acts as a support for a removable Macintosh laptop computer that displays a wide array of information including navigation and engine operating conditions.

The performance of the Boomerang might best be described by comparing it to that of comparable current designs. Carrying 5 passengers and fuel for up to 2100 NM range, the 268 MPH cruise is about 55 MPH faster than the 650 HP Beech Baron (6 passenger) and the range is about 425 NM greater than the Baron. Performance with the diesel engines is expected to be even more impressive. The full span ailerons are interconnected to act as flaps during landing and are able to reflex in cruise to add about 8 MPH to cruise speed.

While the aircraft is not yet complete, Rutan expects to fly the Boomerang for several years as a test bed for more of his innovative ideas. As a model this should be an interesting challenge for the builder ready to take on a multi-engined design. If the model flies anything like the real airplane, engine out conditions should be no problem since the original climbs easily on a single engine and very little rudder correction is required. This truly an eye-catching design that is not likely to be seen at very many flying fields in the near future. A one fifth scale model would come out at an 88 inch span and a 73 inch length. Two 0.40s would provide plenty of performance and the order for the retractable landing gear will drive Robart nuts trying to figure out what you are trying to do.