Aviation and aerospace icon Burt Rutan, and fellow aerospace engineer Dan Kreigh, helped AMA celebrate the 100th running of the Nats, sponsored by Du-bro, by visiting the International Aeromodeling Center (IAC) July 8-10.
Their visit was highlighted with a dinner and special presentation, “From Model Airplanes to Space,” on July 9, and culminated the next day with a tour of the AMA National Model Aviation Museum, the largest museum of its kind in the world. The museum is located at the entrance to the 1,000-acre campus of the IAC.
The presentation, attended by nearly 200 members and guests, was recorded and will be made available for viewing soon.
Another highlight of the visit was an exclusive interview with Burt and Dan, which will be aired on a later date. Burt and Dan were interviewed by longtime Model Aviation contributor, columnist and editor Terry Dunn.
“As a fan of unusual aircraft, I am a longtime admirer of Burt’s early homebuilt designs and those from Scaled Composites. It was an honor to interact with Burt, Dan, and Tonya (Burt’s wife) at the IAC,” Terry said.
“They were all very generous with their time and knowledge. I was impressed that they asked as many questions as they answered. They were really interested in all of the events happening at the Nats.”
Burt, Tonya, and Dan were hosted by the AMA Foundation.
“When I was a young model aviator, I watched everything Burt Rutan did for aviation. Never did I think I would spend three days with him exploring our hobby,” said Foundation Director Steve Haston.
Burt is internationally recognized for designing more than 40 groundbreaking aircraft, including the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world nonstop without refueling, and SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded, crewed spacecraft to reach space. Throughout his career, Burt has credited model aviation as the foundation of his engineering skills and lifelong passion for aerospace innovation.
Dan is an AMA Life member and longtime collaborator with Burt, as well as an aerospace engineer whose career has included leadership roles supporting innovative aircraft development and commercial spaceflight initiatives, including being the lead structural analyst for SpaceShipOne.
Enjoy photos from the event below!
