The 30th anniversary of the Voyager, the world’s longest flight, will be celebrated Dec. 17 at the Mojave Air & Space Port.
Dick Rutan will be the guest speaker for “Plane Crazy,” a monthly event sponsored by the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation and starting at 11 a.m.
And at 5 p.m., a gala event to mark the anniversary will be held in the Stuart O. Witt Event Center. For tickets and more information, visit www.mojavemuseum.org.
On Dec. 23, 1986, Voyager completed the first nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world.
Voyager, a unique aircraft constructed almost entirely of lightweight graphite-honeycomb composite materials and laden with fuel, lifted from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at 8:01:44 a.m., PST, Dec. 14, and returned nine days later at 8:05:28 a.m., PST, Dec. 23, 1986.
For their record-breaking flight, the pilots, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the designer, Burt Rutan, and the crew chief, Bruce Evans, earned the Collier Trophy, aviation’s most prestigious award.
Voyager was the result of six years of design, construction and development by a talented team of individuals.
The aircraft was designed by Burt Rutan, Dick’s brother, a well-known designer of homebuilt airplanes such as the VariViggen and VariEze and corporate aircraft such as the Beech Starship.
Voyager was constructed in 18 months by Dick Rutan, Jeana Yeager, and Bruce Evans.