The latest aircraft from innovative designer Burt Rutan flew for the first time last week from Coeur d'Alene (Pappy Boyington) Airport in Idaho on a test flight that lasted for nearly two hours.
The Rutan SkiGull–an aircraft designed to take-off and land on land, water and snow–is a single-engined high-wing aeroplane with wheeled skis extending from float pods.
Test pilot Glenn Smith reported the aircraft handled well with no trim changes when the flaps and skis were extended. The aircraft also seemed to have better low-speed handling than the Piper Cub chase plane.
Powered by a Rotax 912iS, the two-seat SkiGull's projected top speed is 170 knots and is expected to be able to loiter for up to 35 hours. The airframe is largely composite and titanium.
The SkiGull is the 47th design to come from Rutan, who was also the mastermind behind the Beech Starship, VariEze, Long-EZ, Rutan Voyager, Global Flyer and Virgin Galactic's Spaceship One, Spaceship Two and White Knight Two.
Rutan, who retired from the company he founded, Scaled Composites, in 2011, has developed the SkiGull so far as a private project. He built it his garage over 20 months.
Rutan is soon to be the subject of a film Looking up, Way up! The Burt Rutan Story by US company antennaFILMS. Antenna is hoping to raise money for production through a Kickstarter campaign.