Thanks to the ultra-efficient Voyager, the hybrid-electric BiPod and the fact that he is in the process of building a 31-acre photovoltaic solar farm in the California desert, Mr Rutan is occasionally mistaken for an environmentalist.
It is an accusation he is quick to deny. “I drove an electric car for seven years because of its advanced technology, not because I have any concerns about energy resources,” he says. “I have none at all. And when environmentalists say that global warming is dangerous, unprecedented and that we’ll have a tipping point for atmospheric carbon dioxide, it’s just nonsense.”
It’s good to know that Mr. Rutan is so confident given his extremely strong background in energy economics and logistics, and in the geophysical sciences.
Oh, wait…
Mr. Rutand has spent much of his life designing avant garde aircraft using honest research and experimentation. He knows the value of accuracy and thoroughness. “Climatites” would do well to learn from his careful methods. They would worry less about the sky falling if they did.
Mr. Rutan is a brilliant aircraft designer. This gives him no particular expertise in energy logistics or geophysics.
Professor Vaclav Smil is a brilliant energy analyst, I don’t think that anyone would argue against this, regardless of where they stand on the debate surrounding climate change.
I would not be at all interested in climbing aboard an aircraft designed by Dr. Smil.
It’s not universally accepted that Rutan is such a brilliant aircraft designer. It is an accepted fact that the fore plane stabilizer design is inherently unstable and has lead to many aircraft accidents. Rut an obviously is a great salesman, we shouldn’t confuse the two. Now, that given, am I going to trust him on client science? I think not.