An Accurate, Engaging Profile of an ‘Inspirational Legend’

The Burt Rutan piece (“The Man From Wild Blue Yonder,” by Preston Lerner, Nov. 21) was stunning. As a longtime aviation writer and editor and a pilot, I nit-pick for the errors I know I will find in an aviation story in a mass-circulation newspaper. Your score: 100% accurate.

Lerner either has an extensive aviation background or he is one of the best and most accurate reporters I’ve read. Perhaps both. And he is a very engaging writer. He took some really complex aviation stuff and explained it.

I know Rutan and have interviewed him. Lerner captured the essence of an innovator.

Wayne Thoms

Palm Springs

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The only word I would change in Lerner’s insightful article on Rutan was in the headline: “controversial” legend should be “inspirational” legend.

Rutan’s aggressiveness and his success in challenging the status quo of personal plane manufacturing encouraged others to not only take risks in plane development but to develop new concepts in aviation charts and race planes. Rutan spawned the highly efficient kit-built plane industry we have today.

Stoddard-Hamilton (Glasair) and Lance (Lancair) are two major outfits that have many fantastic homebuilts flying. Ask any pilot what he or she thinks of the single-engine Glasairs and Lancairs cruising the skies at more than 200 mph on a fuel burn of 10 gallons per hour or less. Ask what they think of Burt Rutan. The answer to both questions will be a smile and a word: “Great!”

Howie Keefe

Camarillo