Subj : Dick Rutan, KB6LQS, Record-Setting Pilot, SK
To : QST
From : ARRL de WD1CKS
Date : Thu May 09 2024 02:38 pm
05/09/2024
Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" G. Rutan, KB6LQS, has become a Silent Key. He passed
away at the age of 85 on May 3, 2024, surrounded by family. Rutan was an ARRL
member.
In 1986, Rutan made international headlines for his flight in Voyager with
copilot Jeana Yeager. The pair flew around the world (nonstop and unrefueled)
in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.
Rutan was a United States Air Force combat pilot in Vietnam, where he flew 325
combat missions and was awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Air
Medal with three silver oak leaf clusters on it, and the Collier Trophy. He was
also awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross twice. Rutan was part of an
elite group of airmen who served as fast-forward air controllers, loitering
over enemy aircraft for hours at a time.
His civilian test pilot career had him flying everything from military jets to
rocket-powered airplanes, in which he set speed records. In his final years,
Rutan was still serving as a test pilot. He flew four flights in the test
program for his brother, Burt Rutan's, latest design: the SkiGull. In 2022,
Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, was renamed Mojave Air & Space
Port at Rutan Field in honor of the brothers' contributions.
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