Burt Rutan’s name has become synonymous with innovative, unconventional aircraft designs built with efficiency and safety in mind. Types like the Varieze, Varviggen, and the Voyager all shared a common platform utilizing a canard or small wing ahead of the main wing. Wanting the promote safety, the principal behind the canard was the forward smaller wing would stall before the larger rear wing protecting the pilot from loss of control during the critical takeoff and landing phases of flight. The construction of these designs incorporated a composite structure of a foam core wrapped in fiberglass. This structure was not only strong but it was very aerodynamically clean. These designs could attain cruise speeds faster than most production designs with a fraction of the horsepower. That brings us to the subject of this review. The Quickie was built around an 18 hp Onan engine. Rutan along with Tom Jewett and Gene Sheenan wanted to build a low cost, low power single seat design.
