Canadian Quickie 1

General Description

In 1974, Tom Jewett and Gene Sheehan had envisionedan airplane that would provide “more flying enjoyment for less money” compared to other homebuilt aircraft designs. Led by famous designer, Burt Rutan who assisted Jewett and Sheehan in the design work, the first Quickie was finished, flight tested, and ready for a public introduction by April 1978. The original aircraft was awarded “Outstanding New Design” by the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1978. The aircraft is a canard design; however, the nearly equal size of both the wing and the canard makes it appear to be a negative staggerbiplane.

This revolutionary design incorporated the then state of the art in composite materials and proved to be highly efficient and easy to fly. Sold in kit form for assembly by amateurs in 400 hours, the full kit (in 1977) cost only $6,395 (CDN), about one-third the cost of a basic 2-seat factory production aircraft at the time. The engine was an 18 hp modified Onan, two-cylinder, air-cooled industrial engine normally used to power generators.

The Quickie shares similar construction methods and cutting-edge design features with other Rutan designs such as the Vari-Eze, Beech Starship, Bob Pond racer, and the first aircraft to fly around the world without refueling, the Voyager. The Quickie design evolved into the Q2; the two-seat version powered by a 64 hp converted Volkswagen engine. A later revision was the Q200 which was powered by a 100 hp Continental engine.  Over 2,000 Quickie kits were shipped before production was ended.

Our Canadian Quickie

The Quickie that the Canadian Museum of Flight has on display was purchased from the Langley, BC based Canadian distributor in 1980 and completed in 1984 by Denis Phillips. It was registered as C-GTDI but never flown. It was then donated to the Canadian Museum of Flight in 1985 in airworthy condition by Phillips.

The Canadian Museum of Flight used to have a second Quickie which was donated unfinished in 1985 by Jack Dixon of New Westminster. The Quickie was brought up to static display condition and ended up being displayed at the Expo 86 Aviation Pavilion alongside the CMF’s Westland Lysander and Noorduyn Norseman Mk V. While on display at this event it likely became one of the most photographed airplanes at that time, largely owing to it’s unusual wing configuration. In 1989, this Quickie was loaned for display at the “Bobby Dazzler’s” specialty store at the Vancouver City Square Mall, but when the store closed down, the airplane was never returned to the museum, and the airframe has all but disappeared.

The Canadian Museum of Flight is dedicated to preserving Canada’s aviation heritage, from rare artifacts to the very aircraft that shaped our history. Your support allows us to restore, maintain, and share these treasures with the public, inspiring future generations to reach for the skies. Every gift makes a lasting impact — join us in keeping aviation history alive: Donate Now!

Technical details: