Rutan's 31st airplane, the mantis-like Proteus, is multi-mission but one of a kind. Jim Sugar You can always tell a Burt Rutan airplane, just as you can always tell a Dr. Seuss drawing or a ...

Named for a Greek sea-god, Proteus was designed by Scaled Composites' founder Burt Rutan to be a "high-altitude, long-duration telecommunications relay platform," and it has the ability to soar at ...

On April 3 there was a short e-mail from Dick Rutan to “All.” It ... using a large radio-controlled model mounted on a ... and the Williams V-Jet — and the spidery Proteus.

The Model 281 Proteus and Model 401 Sierra were on static display at Nellis Air Force Base for Aviation Nation 2025. Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, hosted the Aviation Nation 2025 airshow on Apr ...

Burt Rutan flies his radio-controlled, tethered model airplane at his home in Coeur d’Alene on Aug. 15. He now envisions developing a hybrid plane that could also navigate rivers and lakes.

Powered by two Williams International FJ44-2E turbofans, Proteus is a HALO aircraft—high altitude, long operation—designed to carry 2,000-pound payloads to 60,000 feet and loiter there for hours.