Be Defiant! The Rutan Twin-Engine Aviation Oddity That keeps Turning Heads Wherever It Lands

By Carmelo Turdo

Be Defiant! That seems to be the message behind the unusual looks of this Burt Rutan design. The Defiant takes the classic Rutan swept-wing canard shape and adds two more seats and an engine in the nose, resulting in a bloated version of its famous Long-EZ cousin. The Defiant continues its contrary ways by having the rudder placed beside the retractable nose wheel, although several variants included here feature rudders attached to the vertical stabilizers on the wingtips. As with all experimental aircraft, the builder has discretion over the engines, avionics and cabin interior installed, and each Defiant has its own unique character.   

The first example below was on the apron today at Creve Coeur Airport, and the second was also there in August, 2018. The first Defiant features the usual underbelly rudder installation, while the second has wingtip rudders.

Over the last seven years, The Aero Experience has reported on the AirVenture Cup Race and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013-2019. Several Defiants were flown in for those events, including these examples: