Voyager [Hardcover]

Jeana Yeager (Author), Dick Rutan (Author), Phil Patton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1987

The gripping, first-hand account of the first nonstop, round-the-world flight, told by the pilots who designed and flew a remarkable plane called "Voyager". 40 pages of photos.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the morning of December 23, 1986, Yeager and Rutan, man and wife, set down their one-of-a-kind, home-built airplane, Voyager, at the base in California where, little more than nine days earlier, they had begun their nonstop flight around the worlda 25,000-mile-plus adventure they describe in dramatically human terms in this richly illustrated book. They tell their story in alternating and nicely dovetailed this-is-how-it-was first-person pieces, with help from Phil Patton, who wrote Open Road and Razzle Dazzle. More than half the book focuses on the several years before the flight, which Jeana and Dick, with a growing legion of professional and volunteer helpers, spent designing, building, testing and testing again (dangerously) their ultra-light, catamaran-shaped craft with its tiny "horizontal telephone booth" cockpit. The intrepid pair, who "didn't know what we were getting ourselves into," met at an airshow, he a Vietnam flier of 105 missions, she both a pilot and a horse-trainer. They shared the dream of the flight, fell in love, married and went on to see their know-how and courage tested almost beyond endurance in the voyage that more than once nearly ended in disaster. Photos. 70,000 first printing; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The Voyager 's nine-day epic flight around the world without refueling was a media event and the culmination of a dream. The demanding physical requirements of the flight and the setbacks in its preparation represent a pinnacle of endurance by Yeager and Rutan, who spent six years designing, building, and testing the aircraft. Voyager 's uniqueness was in its airfoil design, immense fuel capacity, and very light composite structure. The human interest in this achievement will appeal to those who followed the story in the news. Well-written and highly recommended. BOMC alternate.William A. McIntyre, New Hampshire Vocational-Technical Coll. Lib., Nashua
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 337 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; 1 edition (November 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394552660
• ISBN-13: 978-0394552668
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An industrial age Illiad, March 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Voyager (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) (Hardcover)

A friend with a life long career and interest in aviation loaned me "Voyager" by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, published in 1987 by Knopf. I was in a pilot Vietnam and Dick Rutan's account of his experiences there established his credibility. Of course the family name is known to all who have been to air shows where the Burt Rutan designs are ubiquitous. There are many dimensions to this story, challenges for both Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan who completed an epic of Iliad like scope. The use of advanced material (graphite) and a "micro business model" to develop a vehicle as they did is matched by their stress resilient drive to succeed. The aerodynamic design (by Burt Rutan), attention to weight management during construction, (1986) state of the art electronics and pivotal role of human factors were compelling elements of their story. The recruitment of volunteers and vendors/suppliers must rank among the most significant elements in this accomplishment. In addition to all the other adversity they overcame, weather was a risk only mitigated by skills of both the ground support crew and the experience of the flight
team. The whole project was related in a "pick yourself up" tone that is very inspiring. The book did not have any mention of spiritual values; I was surprised at this omission. Also, the publisher did not use different type faces for each of the two crew members in the book; this one addition would have made for an easier and more enjoyable read for me. Even so, if you like aviation, I'll bet you appreciate this book. Too, if you visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, you can see the Voyager, surely one of the most specialized developments of the industrial age.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly suspenseful story about an amazing air journey, June 15, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyager (Hardcover)

Although we know they "made it", their story is riveting and full of knuckle-busting suspense. Their dedication and work is both inspiring and awesome. This is much more than just flying around the world non-stop. Dick and Jeana worked very long and hard and their success is due largely to them.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written, October 12, 2007

By 

J. P Powenski "shameus_burp" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyager (Hardcover)

A poorly written book that reads like it was never proof read. It's more a collection of interview tapes written down. Basic grammar rules are continually violated especially the narrator. The narrator is in the first person but the 'person' changes continually throughout the chapters. The only way to know who is the narrator is to see the name of the narrator from the previous paragraph in the current paragraph. I've never read something this bad. The stories themselves provide insight to the whole process of building, testing an flying this one of a kind aircraft. The poor writing makes it very frustrating to complete.