iSpeakers & Entertainers
Dick Rutan
Decorated War Veteran, Test Pilot and Aviation Innovator
Dick Rutan is a decorated war veteran, aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop, survivor of an Arctic plane crash, and gifted speaker who shares these tales and many more as an innovator of aviation.
- United States - California
- Full Day: Inquire for Quote
- 1/2 Day: Inquire for Quote
- Keynote: 5K-10K
Around And Out Of This World
Dick remembers his very first aviation adventure vividly. He was six years old when he and his mother went to an old farm field for a true barnstorming ride. Mom Rutan was armed with a fist full of hard-earned dollar bills. The duo climbed into the old plane and Dick begged his mother to allow him to stand so he could see out of the window. The little plane hopped and skipped down an old bumpy dirt road and suddenly was airborne. As Dick saw the earth beneath him, his view of how he wanted to see the world was changed forever.
Dick's narration about his career in the Air Force, Voyager's flight around the world, a second world flight in a homebuilt, record setting in a rocket powered airplane, being stranded on the North Pole, and many other adventures will keep your audience on the edge of their seats!
Dream, Believe, Accomplish
Dick shares his experience with believing in one's self and one's team. His view of setting goals and sub goals and reaching toward the impossible are irresistible messages for everyone - from youth to executive, from laborer to professional, his message will spark the creative genius within! Your audience will be empowered to begin their own journey of setting and reaching goals they never believed possible. A master story-teller, Dick Rutan's recall of his many dramatic adventures will prove that, "You are limited only by what you can dream."
An Arctic Adventure
In May of 2000, Dick Rutan was a last minute addition to a sightseeing airplane trek to the North Pole. The biplane, a Russian AN-2 Antonov, landed beautifully on the glass-like ice, but within seconds, the joyride was headed for disaster. Unseasonably thin, the ice quickly began to stress and crack under the weight of the plane. A quick power-up to 'go-around' and locate a thicker spot on the ice resulted in the aircraft suddenly dipping nose first through the ice, sinking toward the freezing ocean, and certain death. The wings of the AN-2 suspended the aircraft so the crew could retrieve their survival equipment that was packed in the rear of the sinking plane. For more than a dozen hours, the crew was stranded at the top of the world. In the distance, they heard a faint engine and soon would see the Twin Otter from First Air that would rescue them and return them to their families.
