Model 81 Catbird

The Scaled Composites Model 81 Catbird was conceived in the mid‑1990s as Burt Rutan’s answer to the demand for a low‑cost, fuel‑efficient commuter aircraft. Completed in 1997, the five‑seat prototype was the first all‑composite, three‑surface design to fly in the United States, featuring a small forward canard, a high‑aspect‑ratio main wing, and a conventional T‑tail. Its 260‑hp Continental IO‑520‑D engine drove a sophisticated, laminar‑flow wing that achieved a drag coefficient well below that of contemporary Cessna and Piper models. In test flights the Catbird logged a cruise speed of 200 kt while using roughly 30 percent less fuel per seat‑mile, setting several efficiency records and demonstrating the commercial potential of ultra‑light composite structures. Although market interest never materialized into production, the aircraft’s innovative geometry and construction methods directly influenced later Scaled Composites projects, including the Model 115 Providence and the NASA‑backed “Mighty Bird” research platform. The Catbird remains a landmark in aviation history for proving that unconventional, high‑efficiency configurations can be built, flown, and validated at a relatively modest cost.