--- title: "7 Flight Quotes By Burt Rutan" description: "7 Flight quotes by Burt Rutan. Plus more from Burt Rutan and more Flight sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/burt-rutan-12448_air_i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vie_297373.jpg" --- > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vietnam-war-flight-testing/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95e/burt-rutan-12448_air_i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vie_297373.jpg) > [Flight out of the atmosphere is a simple thing to do and should have been available to the public twenty years ago.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/flight-out-of-the-atmosphere-is-a-simple-thing-to-do-and-should-have/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/burt-rutan-12448_able_flight-out-of-the-atmosphere-is-a-simple_315442.jpg) > [To allow public access to orbit, we would need breakthroughs that would lower the cost by a lot more than an order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would-need-breakthroughs-that/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/burt-rutan-12448_access_to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would_1619555.jpg) > [For the industry we're starting now, for suborbital flight, there is no destination, so the spacecraft you go up in has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for-suborbital-flight-there-is-no/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/burt-rutan-12448_around_for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for_1642273.jpg) > [Since Yuri Gagarin and Al Shepard's epoch flights in 1961, all space missions have been flown only under large, expensive government efforts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/since-yuri-gagarin-and-al-shepard-s-epoch-flights-in-1961-all-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/849/burt-rutan-12448_affordable_since-yuri-gagarin-and-al-shepard-s-epoc_1672545.jpg) > [The next 15 years will see thousands of people leave the atmosphere on suborbital flights. My company's SS2 system might fly 100,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/the-next-15-years-will-see-thousands-of-people-leave-the-atmosphere/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d28/burt-rutan-12448_apollo_the-next-15-years-will-see-thousands-of_1949769.jpg) > [By 1931, after a few years' experience of flying scheduled airlines, those planes were operating at roughly 600 times the safety of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/by-1931-after-a-few-years-experience-of-flying-scheduled-airlines/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ec/burt-rutan-12448_airline_by-1931-after-a-few-years-experience-of_3029534.jpg) ## Other authors on Flight ## More by Burt Rutan > [I like to call the difference between research and development. Some people use that interchangeably. They'll say R&D. They're two totally different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-like-to-call-the-difference-between-research-and-development-some/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [America was good enough to make a small compact lighter weight nuclear weapon. The Russians still had these big clunky heavy ones, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/america-was-good-enough-to-make-a-small-compact-lighter-weight/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A true creator researches how to have confidence in nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-true-creator-researches-how-to-have-confidence-in-nonsense/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/i-spent-about-seven-years-during-the-vietnam-war-flight-testing/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Flight out of the atmosphere is a simple thing to do and should have been available to the public twenty years ago. Ten years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/flight-out-of-the-atmosphere-is-a-simple-thing-to-do-and-should-have/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [We didn't know the importance of home computers before the Internet. We had them mostly for fun, then the Internet came along and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/we-didn-t-know-the-importance-of-home-computers-before-the-internet/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Virgin Galactic, which will be operating SpaceShipTwo, will be only one of several spacelines. The competitors for Virgin include the Russians, Bezos's Blue Origin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/virgin-galactic-which-will-be-operating-spaceshiptwo-will-be-only-one/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Within 25 years, virtual reality meetings will be essentially transparent to being there in person. Once we can do this, the idea of climbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/within-25-years-virtual-reality-meetings-will-be-essentially/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Everything looks nonsensical before it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/everything-looks-nonsensical-before-it-works/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [A NASA-funded study estimates that if the price of a ticket to space approached $100,000, close to a million people would buy one. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/a-nasa-funded-study-estimates-that-if-the-price-of-a-ticket-to-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Achieving something that has never existed in manned spaceflight and that is high volume and public access.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/achieving-something-that-has-never-existed-in-manned-spaceflight-and/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [There will be a new industry, and we are just now in the beginning. I will predict that in twelve or fifteen years there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/there-will-be-a-new-industry-and-we-are-just-now-in-the-beginning-i/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Our goal is to show that you can develop a robust, safe manned space program and do it at an extremely low cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/our-goal-is-to-show-that-you-can-develop-a-robust-safe-manned-space/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [Usually the wacky people have the breakthroughs. The 'smart' people don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/usually-the-wacky-people-have-the-breakthroughs-the-smart-people-don-t/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) > [In the coming era of manned space exploration by the private sector, market forces will spur development and yield new, low-cost space technologies. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/in-the-coming-era-of-manned-space-exploration-by-the-private-sector/) [Burt Rutan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-rutan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight/burt-rutan/#itemlist", "name": "7 Flight Quotes By Burt Rutan", "numberOfItems": 7, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I spent about seven years during the Vietnam War flight-testing airplanes for the Air Force. And then I went in and I had a lot of fun building airplanes that people could build in their garages. And some 3,000 of those are flying. 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I think airborne launch will be a significant part of the safety solution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Burt Rutan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would-need-breakthroughs-that/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/burt-rutan-12448_access_to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would_1619555.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/burt-rutan-12448_access_to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would_1619555.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/burt-rutan-12448_access_to-allow-public-access-to-orbit-we-would_1619555.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To allow public access to orbit, we would need breakthroughs that would lower the cost by a lot more than an…” — Burt Rutan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For the industry we're starting now, for suborbital flight, there is no destination, so the spacecraft you go up in has to be large and spacious. That's why SpaceShipTwo is much bigger than SpaceShipOne: It needs to be because you want those six people to be floating around and enjoying themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Burt Rutan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-rutan/for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for-suborbital-flight-there-is-no/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/burt-rutan-12448_around_for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for_1642273.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/burt-rutan-12448_around_for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for_1642273.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fe/burt-rutan-12448_around_for-the-industry-we-re-starting-now-for_1642273.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the industry we're starting now, for suborbital flight, there is no destination, so the spacecraft you…” — Burt Rutan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Since Yuri Gagarin and Al Shepard's epoch flights in 1961, all space missions have been flown only under large, expensive government efforts. 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