Hallmarks of Homebuilding

Burt Rutan Unveils Mold-less Composite Construction

Burt Rutan

At the 1975 EAA Convention and Fly-In, EAA Lifetime Member Burt Rutan unveiled a new, highly anticipated airplane design that had been written about extensively in EAA’s Sport Aviation in the preceding months. The creation built at his Rutan Aircraft Factory in Mojave, California, was called the VariEze (Very Easy). It was (and still is) a futuristic canard pusher that utilized an entirely new construction method that used foam and fiberglass cloth and practically no wood or metal.

This homebuilding hallmark came to be known as the moldless composite construction method.

One immediate advantage of moldless composite construction was shorter building time as opposed to other building methods. Airplane build time could be measured in months rather than years, thanks also in part to another innovation: use of a builder’s manual rather than mechanical drawings.

Rutan's prototype VariEze resides in the EAA AirVenture Museum.

Rutan’s prototype VariEze also demonstrated tremendous efficiency, achieving 70 miles per gallon with two people aboard at a cruising speed of 135 mph. That was at 30 percent power flying at 8,000 feet. at 75 percent power, the airplane achieved 48 mpg at 185 mph.

Burt Rutan pushed the imagination of what was possible in aircraft design and performance and brought it to the homebuilder. He also worked with manufacturers and distributors of the raw materials to ensure that the construction materials would be readily available to VariEze builders.

Rutan’s new design was one of the first aircraft to fly with the Whitcomb Winglets. The second prototype VariEze N4EZ is currently in the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum collection.

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