Throughout the spring and early summer of 1985, the Rutan Voyager — the aircraft designed to fly around the world on a single tank of fuel — was undergoing critical testing at Mojave Airport in California. June 1985 marked a turning point in the program as the aircraft proved its airworthiness.
The Voyager's design was extraordinary — a composite aircraft so light and fuel-efficient that it could carry nearly five times its empty weight in fuel. Its 110-foot wingspan was longer than a Boeing 727's, yet the aircraft weighed just 2,250 pounds empty. Every pound saved was another pound of fuel it could carry.
Designer Burt Rutan was at his peak creative power in the mid-1980s. Coming off the success of the VariEze and Long-EZ homebuilt designs, he applied his composite construction expertise to a project of unprecedented ambition. His brother Dick and co-pilot Jeana Yeager would fly the finished aircraft around the world in December 1986 in 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.
The Mojave Desert, where the Voyager was built and tested, has been the birthplace of more aviation and aerospace innovation than almost anywhere on Earth. From Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier at Muroc to Burt Rutan's remarkable creations to Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne — Mojave is where the future of flight is invented.
Voyager's round-the-world mission pushed every limit of what a pilot and aircraft could endure. At Cleared4Tees, we honor that endurance.
Explore the collection:
→ Rise Above the Storms T-shirt → Beyond the Barrier T-shirt → Inspirational Aviation Collection
Blue skies and tailwinds — The Cleared4Tees Crew ✈️
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