Rutan Quickie

Rutan Quickie

The Quickie is a light single seat homebuilt aircraft that was designed by Burt Rutan and Tom Jewett. One of the dozens of unconventional aircraft penned by Rutan for the general aviation market, the original Quickie is Model 54 in Rutan’s design series.

The Q2 is a two seater version in kit form designed by Canadian Garry LeGare and the founders of the Quickie Aircraft Corporation Tom Jewett, and Gene Sheehan. Over 2000 kits were sold before production ended.

Highly efficient, the Quickie and Q2 are of composite construction. Appearing at first glance to be a modified biplane or canard design, the Quickie is a tandem wing aircraft. The forward wing is technically a canard, fitted with elevators, but it provides about 60% of the lift. The aft wing serves as tailplane, although all pitch control comes from the forward canard. The Quickie is a taildragger with main wheels in the tips of the forward wing, obviating the need for separate landing gear. However, propeller clearance is limited and the Quickie is rather vulnerable to prop-strikes, although the trigear version avoids this danger.