Burt Rutan retires from aviation and California

Five planes designed by aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan hang in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Of his 367 concepts, 45 have flown. He and his wife are moving from Mojave after 45 years to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. From the L.A. Times:

"There aren't many names that are bigger within the aviation industry than Burt Rutan," said Richard Branson, the British billionaire behind Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Galactic, the spaceline based on Rutan's rocket design. "He's a larger-than-life character that brings a room to silence when he walks in."

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"The criticism is, once I get something flying, I lose interest in it," Rutan said. "I've enjoyed the first flight of a new type of aircraft every year I've been out here."

Do I hear a round of applause?

Photo of Rutan, left, in 2004: AviationHistory.org

Previously on LA Observed:
They still dream of space flight out in the Mojave