On the way to Oshkosh the only flying VariVggen, “Lady Vi,” lost oil pressure over northern Arkansas. Pilot Ryszard Zadow diverted to a small airport, leaving the landing gear up to extend the range. He made the runway, but did not have time to extend the main gear, so the airplane settled onto the asphalt essentially gear up, The rollers on the vertical fins and the extended nose gear saved the airplane from more extensive damage. Ryszard was unscathed. The airplane is back in Covington Kentucky and the owner of Lady Vi, the Rutan Flying Experience (a 501(c)(3) organization) is soliciting donations to help repair the airplane.
Hopefully a lot of folks who care about the legacy of Rutan homebuilts — which ultimately led to a record around-the-world un-refueled flight and even flights to space — will be able to donate to get this important milestone airplane design back in the air. This design was Rutan’s first homebuilt, and it led to his trend favoring canard designs.