Today we got to fly in the AirVenture Airshow. The flight was named the Rutan Reunion Flight and we showcased all of Burt Rutans “Legacy” Homebuilt designs, the Quickie, VariViggen, Varieze, LongEZ, Defiant. This was a huge deal and a bucket list for many that participated. I wish I had some great video of the flight but the flight was pretty much a left hand flyby pattern in front of the crowd and my GoPro got tilted and mostly just got the back of my JetGuys ball cap. I know some of the others got some good video and we were also on AirVenture Live so there will be plenty posted.
Flying in Airshows is something I get to do fairly often but not at Oshkosh so this was a big deal to me too, however, what else happened today was something very special. I had an idea it was coming, but what I was told it was going to happen after we flew but the word came out we wouldn’t be going back into Boeing Plaza after we flew as we’d been told so it was decided to do it before we flew. Izzy Briggs restored a Varieze that has a special meaning to many on the EZ Community that have been around a long time. Steve Wright was a very early Varieze builder and went on to design and build his one version, the StaggerEZ. His VariEze won the Rutan Designers Award in 1986.
Izzy’s done a wonderful job restoring Steve Wrights Varieze.
Today Izzy Briggs donated Steve Wrights Varieze it to the Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience.
RAFE now has five flying aircraft. Thank you Izzy. Your consideration makes a very significant contribution to RAFE’s mission to preserve and promote Burt Rutan's homebuilt designs, the "Homebuilts that led to Space".
Sincerley,
Ryszard Zadow
Founder and President
Rutan Aircraft Flying Experience