__NOTOC__

The Rutan Model 202 Boomerang is an aircraft designed and built by

Burt Rutan Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (; born June 17, 1943) is a retired American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft. He designed the record- ...

. The design was intended to be a multi-engine aircraft that in the event of failure of a single engine would not become dangerously difficult to control due to

asymmetric thrust The critical engine of a multi-engine fixed-wing aircraft is the engine that, in the event of failure, would most adversely affect the performance or handling abilities of an aircraft. On propeller aircraft, there is a difference in the remaining ...

. The result is an

asymmetrical aircraft Asymmetrical aircraft have left- and right-hand sides which are not exact mirror images of each other. Although most aircraft are symmetrical, there is no fundamental reason why they must be, and design goals can sometimes be best achieved with an ...

with a very distinct appearance.

Design and development

The Boomerang was designed around the specifications of the

Beechcraft Baron 58 The Beechcraft Baron is a light twin-engined piston aircraft designed and produced by Beechcraft. The aircraft was introduced in 1961. A low-wing monoplane developed from the Travel Air, it remains in production. Design and development The d ...

, one of the best known and most numerous twin-engine civilian aircraft. The use of the asymmetrical design allows the Boomerang to fly faster and farther than the Baron using smaller engines, and seating the same number of occupants. The Boomerang is powered by two engines, with the right engine producing 10 hp (8 kW) more power than the left one (the engines are in fact the same model, just rated differently). The wings are forward-swept.Schapiro, Steve.
Burt Rutan's Favorite Ride
,

Air & Space/Smithsonian ''Air & Space/Smithsonian'' is a quarterly magazine published by the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Linc ...

, September 2012. Retrieved: 11 September 2012. In 1997,

avionics Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...

entrepreneur Ray Morrow and his son, Neil Morrow, founded an air taxi company. They settled on a modified version of Rutan's Boomerang design, which they designated the MB-300. They determined that the best business approach would be to manufacture the aircraft and run the air taxi services themselves. So Ray Morrow founded

Morrow Aircraft Corporation Morrow Aircraft Corporation was American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company in San Bernardino, California. It developed a process to build airplanes out of plastic impregnated wood. History Plans for a $65,000 plant at the yet-completed ...

in order to design and manufacture the MB-300. In the meantime, they started the

SkyTaxi SkyTaxi Sp. z o.o. is a Polish charter airline headquartered in Wrocław and based at Copernicus Airport Wrocław. It operates cargo charter flights world wide. SkyTaxi also operated passenger flights, i.e. scheduled regional services within Franc ...

company using

Cessna 414 The Cessna 414 is an American light, pressurized, twin-engine transport aircraft built by Cessna. It first flew in 1968 and an improved variant was introduced from 1978 as the 414A Chancellor. Design and development The pressurized 414 was dev ...

s as interim aircraft. In 1999, Morrow Aircraft Corporation applied to the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA) of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for a

type certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...

for the MB-300. In 2000, the FAA published a notice seeking comments on Morrow Aircraft's proposal to use an electronic engine control system (

FADEC A full authority digital engine (or electronics) control (FADEC) is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an "electronic engine controller" (EEC) or "engine control unit" (ECU), and its related accessories that control all aspects of ai ...

) in place of the engine's mechanical system. Rutan's Boomerang was restored to flying condition in 2011 and made an appearance at Oshkosh that year as part of the Tribute to Rutan.

Specifications (Boomerang)

References

External links

*
Autopia - Burt Rutan’s Boomerang: Safety Through Asymmetry - July 29, 2011SCALED and RAF Manned Research Projects - April 2011
{{Scaled Composites 1990s United States civil utility aircraft

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...

Asymmetrical aircraft Twin-fuselage aircraft Forward-swept-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1996 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft

Design and development

Specifications (Boomerang)

See also

References

External links