Burt Rutan is a failure...

Panew

Panew

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Panew
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Burt Rutan is a failure...
Well - at least according to J Mac.

It should be OBVIOUS that this is a throw-away user account to protect sources... no doubt, a moderator will be obligated to delete this shortly after it is posted. But, hopefully this will be read by a few people who will keep it going long enough to call EAA Leadership on the carpet for their decision-making in hiring certain individuals.

So - inside sources at EAA state that in a meeting, Mac repeatedly referred to Burt Rutan as a failure. This was in the context of running (or not running as the case may be) an article about Catbird and Boomerang in Sport Aviation. Mac's position was that Burt was a failure and why would they ever run an article about him.

Wait - didn't Virgin Galactic's Spaceport just get dedicated? Weren't several mucky-mucks from EAA there to see and be seen? How exactly did that all transpire? Evidently it was all precipitated by some failure...

If Mac can't see that Burt is a SHINING STAR for not only homebuilding but for aviation innovation and inspiration - then what is he doing being the Senior Editor/Publisher for Sport Aviation?

Maybe Mac needs to get a little of the Spirit Of Aviation in him.

Take back your organization from the robber-BARON decision-makers who now occupy your HQ in Oshkosh! As they say - follow the money...

EAA Board of Directors meeting is this Friday, 28 Oct. Who is representing you?

COPY THIS POST BEFORE IT IS DELETED!!!
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Can someone shed some light as to what is going on here? Who is Mac?

Failure is not the word I would use to describe Burt. If I had to be critical of him "King of sideburns" is about the worst thing I could come up with. ;)
 
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Geico266 said:
Can someone shed some light as to what is going on here? Who is Mac?
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McClellan is former editor of Flying mag. Many hold the opinion he is full of himself.

As far as what's going on here my take on this is here is a man who apparently has spoken quite dismissively of a man who played a significant role in the EXP and homebuilt aircraft industry (Rutan) yet is now made editor of the trade mag of that very industry.
 
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This too funny...
Only J. Mac in his delusions of grandeur would believe that Bert is some sort of a failure...

I have chosen not to renew my membership in EAA after more than 45 years, not over J. Mac but in disgust over the money gobbling corporate ethos that our EAA has developed... Well, not 'our' EAA being that I have picked up my wheel chocks and gone home...
My last trip to the Big-O was . . . well, my last!
I go way back to the Rockford, fly-in in my T-Craft and sleeping under the fuselage wrapped in a blanket...So yeah, I feel I have some rights, or entitlements, or something... I have the right to have an opinion based on a lifetime of supporting the EAA...
I can afford to pay the cost of of parking and attending and camping and eating, etc. at Oshkosh.. But when I finally realized that the money I was shoveling out in double handfuls was 99% for the purpose of funding the pensions of corporate executives and not for the purpose of promoting and supporting experimental aviation - well, that was the moment... My dues go directly to paying the retirement bennys of two generations of Poberezny... Enough is enough...

And the hiring of J. Mac is only a reaffirmation of my having made a good decision...

denny-o
 
Dr. O said:
This too funny...
Only J. Mac in his delusions of grandeur would believe that Bert is some sort of a failure...

I have chosen not to renew my membership in EAA after more than 45 years, not over J. Mac but in disgust over the money gobbling corporate ethos that our EAA has developed... Well, not 'our' EAA being that I have picked up my wheel chocks and gone home...
My last trip to the Big-O was . . . well, my last!
I go way back to the Rockford, fly-in in my T-Craft and sleeping under the fuselage wrapped in a blanket...So yeah, I feel I have some rights, or entitlements, or something... I have the right to have an opinion based on a lifetime of supporting the EAA...
I can afford to pay the cost of of parking and attending and camping and eating, etc. at Oshkosh.. But when I finally realized that the money I was shoveling out in double handfuls was 99% for the purpose of funding the pensions of corporate executives and not for the purpose of promoting and supporting experimental aviation - well, that was the moment... My dues go directly to paying the retirement bennys of two generations of Poberezny... Enough is enough...

And the hiring of J. Mac is only a reaffirmation of my having made a good decision...

denny-o
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Would you care to elaborate? I've looked at the financial documents they promulgated and not seen anything amiss, but I won't claim to be any sort of financial genius.
 
So did Mac actually write anything like the word failure? Or is this just malicious rumor about something that was said?

It seems to me that what is being discussed here is purportedly a paraphrased comment, and there's no way the reader of this thread can verify it or determine what was actually said in context.

I'm indifferent to Mac, and I'm not so sure that his column is a good fit for the EAA magazine, but I realize there are people who don't like him who could spread ugly rumors maliciously. I don't think it's fair to post unsubstantiated rumors and then just join into some mudslinging.
 
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Geico266 said:
Can someone shed some light as to what is going on here?
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Well apparently there are not enough trolls posting original content on PoA so we now have to import trolls from other newsgroups.

Perhaps what we need is a PoA program of alternative trolls to fill in the blanks left us by the post peak troll era. Dependence upon foreign trolls will only make PoA a less desirable location to virtually reside because the flow of trolls could be choked off at any point leaving us troll-less.
 
ScottM said:
Well apparently there are not enough trolls posting original content on PoA so we now have to import trolls from other newsgroups.
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With over 600 posts I don't think Denny is a troll. His missive could simply reflect the cultural changes undergone by the EAA since the early days, and would be quite understandable. I doubt it is the same organization it was. But if there is some sort of financial mismanagement, and this fellow has some insider information, I'd be interested to hear it.
 
NoHeat said:
So did Mac actually write anything like the word failure? Or is this just malicious rumor about something that was said?

It seems to me that what is being discussed here is purportedly a paraphrased comment, and there's no way the reader of this thread can verify it or determine what was actually said in context.

I'm indifferent to Mac, and I'm not so sure that his column is a good fit for the EAA magazine, but I realize there are people who don't like him who could spread ugly rumors maliciously. I don't think it's fair to post unsubstantiated rumors and then just join into some mudslinging.
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I too would be interested in some references to what the original poster wrote. It hasn't been deleted yet so explain yourself with some facts. Hersay isn't acceptable. :nono:
 
steingar said:
With over 600 posts I don't think Denny is a troll. His missive could simply reflect the cultural changes undergone by the EAA since the early days, and would be quite understandable. I doubt it is the same organization it was. But if there is some sort of financial mismanagement, and this fellow has some insider information, I'd be interested to hear it.
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What are you talking about?

The OP quote and Geico's request as to what this was all about are not was I was responding to.
 
ScottM said:
What are you talking about?

The OP quote and Geico's request as to what this was all about are not was I was responding to.
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Arrgh! Sorry Scott, I must have just read that wrong.

When McClellan wrote for Flying Magazine, I didn't find his prose any better than any of the other dreck being published in Flying or any other aviation magazine.

He is certainly entitled to his opinions. And Rutan certainly is a failure, compared to say Moses, or Christ, or George Washington. Did pretty good for being an airplane designer.
 
As long as there's an Airventure to attend, EAA will get my money every year. 'Nuff said about that.
 
ScottM said:
Well apparently there are not enough trolls posting original content on PoA so we now have to import trolls from other newsgroups.

Perhaps what we need is a PoA program of alternative trolls to fill in the blanks left us by the post peak troll era. Dependence upon foreign trolls will only make PoA a less desirable location to virtually reside because the flow of trolls could be choked off at any point leaving us troll-less.
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Would those be imported trolls that are here illegally? Do we need a Customs and Border Pa-troll enforcement arm? Perhaps an amnesty program, along with heightened anti-illegal-troll enforcement of those that don't qualify? And what about those that are left for dead in the vast internet desert? Should they be allowed to reach the end of the internet?

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::D
 
wsuffa said:
Would those be imported trolls that are here illegally? Do we need a Customs and Border Pa-troll enforcement arm? Perhaps an amnesty program, along with heightened anti-illegal-troll enforcement of those that don't qualify? And what about those that are left for dead in the vast internet desert? Should they be allowed to reach the end of the internet?

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::D
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I was thinking more of a troll pipeline myself to our own troll reservoirs. But I think you are suggesting some sort of guest troller program. That is an interesting idea and a departure from the original intent, but I am open to the idea. Would these guest trollers be allowed to obtain full PoA privileges such as getting embroidered clothing, be allowed into the private VIP PoA lounge and get invitations to the elite Gastons outing? Or would they only be allowed certain access for a period of time and then asked to leave to reapply for guest troll membership?
 
Panew said:
copied from another forum
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What forum was that originally posted to? Can you provide a link?

I doubt MacClellan would say 99% of the stuff in that story. I don't like the direction Sport Aviation is taking on his watch, but he didn't get the editor role by being dumb.
 
ScottM said:
Not too much. A few try to come in there and usually get chased out. Then whine and complain on the rest of PoA about how awful the SZ is in a feeble attempt to feel superior.
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When you wrestle with a pig, you both end up covered in mud. The difference is, the pig likes it.
 
kyleb said:
I doubt MacClellan would say 99% of the stuff in that story. I don't like the direction Sport Aviation is taking on his watch, but he didn't get the editor role by being dumb.
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I agree. I actually religiously read Mac's commentaries in FLYING in the last two decades or more and always found them very insightful, very probing. I learned a lot from them. Most likely someone here is working hard to spread malicious rumors.
 
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I don't know and don't care who Mac is. But to suggest that Burt Rutan is a failure is bizarre to say the least. Burt is an American treasure with 5 craft at the Air & Space Museum, appearance on the cover of Time (twice) and other magazines, has more than 35 other planes at various air museums, won the X-Prize, made Virgin Galactic's future operations possible, sold his company to Northrop for millions and received more awards than Carter had liver pills. Failure? Mac needs some professional help to counter his sense of grandeur or, more likely, his own sense of complete and abject failure (probably well deserved).
 
I need to see a definitive source that Mac actually said that. I find it extremely unlikely.
But, if he DID say that, he's dead to me.
 
danalef said:
I don't know and don't care who Mac is. But to suggest that Burt Rutan is a failure is bizarre to say the least. Burt is an American treasure with 5 craft at the Air & Space Museum, appearance on the cover of Time (twice) and other magazines, has more than 35 other planes at various air museums, won the X-Prize, made Virgin Galactic's future operations possible, sold his company to Northrop for millions and received more awards than Carter had liver pills. Failure? Mac needs some professional help to counter his sense of grandeur or, more likely, his own sense of complete and abject failure (probably well deserved).
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You don't know or care who Mac is? How do you know he has a sense of grandeur or failure? How do you know it is well deserved?

I haven't seen a reference for Mac's alleged remarks- EAA claims they saw this first on Van's Air Force (ref: http://eaaforums.org/showthread.php?639-What-the-heck-is-this/page2 post #17).

Sorry for picking on you in your first post here- I just don't see the logic between the statements made.
 
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danalef said:
I don't know and don't care who Mac is....... Mac needs some professional help to counter his sense of grandeur or, more likely, his own sense of complete and abject failure (probably well deserved).
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It was stated above, there is absolutely no proof whatsoever that Mac said anything like that - so I actually suggest you start caring who Mac is because then you would could use your own head trying to reason if he were capable of this grandeur or whatever else you accuse him of. Some of us here have been reading Mac's editorials for over a decade and have hard time putting up with this nonsense, and we DO CARE. :mad:
 
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So essentially the consensus is that there is no evidence this thread is based on a true comment? Glad to hear that.

Kitplanes had a guy that did a little hatchet job on a Varieze a few months ago. Almost every paragraph included or ended with a slam or dig at the plane. Fortunately he had to admit the actual plane he flew in was very well made. Very poor writing by a guy that seems to collect type ratings and brags about two of his planes running VW engines. Hope he sticks to what he knows in the future. I've met these types and they just make it a hobby to fly everything they can - once. Doesn't make them an expert at much of anything other than mooching rides.

Seems most folks understand that Burt was a visionary. He designed and built some very interesting planes. No, he didn't perfect them, that wasn't his interest. I like that he moved on and did more and more rather than stagnate in a few designs. Fortunately many of those building and flying canards (not me) have perfected these designs. So guys like me can copy the improvements and eventually end up with a great ride. I'm proud to wear a Rutan T-shirt to honor the designer of not only my plane but eventually a spaceship. Cheers! :cheers:
 
Maybe compared to Kelley Johnson he is a failure. But compared to Kelley Johnson, God is a failure.
 
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