"I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. I thought boy They were going to hang me for this, you know the first thing to do An accident rate is they blame the pilots," he says. "That may be the end of my flying, you know my career."
Retired United States Air Forceofficer and fighter pilot, test pilot, and record-breaking aviator who in 1986 piloted the Voyager aircraft on the first non-stop, non-refueled around-the-world flight with co-pilot Jeana Yeager. He was born in Loma Linda, California, where he gained an interest in flying at a young age. He is the older brother of famed aerospace designer Burt Rutan, whose many earlier original designs Dick piloted on class record-breaking flights, including Voyager.