Rutan Boomerang

The Rutan Boomerang is a single‑engine, three‑seat, composite aircraft conceived by aerospace visionary Burt Rutan and built by his company Scaled Composites in the early 1990s. Developed originally as a proof‑of‑concept to demonstrate that a canard‑type airplane could be made safely asymmetrical, the Boomerang first flew on 26 November 1996. Its most striking feature is the “boomerang‑shaped” wing‑planform, which incorporates a swept forward‑staggered foreplane and a rear wing of differing span and incidence, creating an inherent pitch‑stability without a conventional tail. The airframe uses high‑modulus carbon‑fiber and Nomex honeycomb, giving a light yet stiff structure that yields a cruise speed of about 250 kt and a range of roughly 1,200 nm. The aircraft’s control system blends conventional stick‑linked surfaces with fly‑by‑wire augmentation, allowing smooth handling despite the unconventional geometry. Though only a handful were built, the Boomerang validated unconventional aerodynamic concepts and inspired later Rutan designs such as the Model 351 and the experimental XA‑5. Its legacy lies in proving that radical configurations can meet FAA certification standards, expanding the design space for future high‑performance light aircraft. Today the Boomerang is displayed in aerospace museums and used as a university case study, illustrating composite manufacturing benefits and unconventional stability analysis.

Scaled Composites

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