The Quickie was primarily designed by Burt Rutan as a low-powered, highly efficient kit-plane. Its tandem wing design has one anhedral forward wing and one slightly larger dihedral rear wing. The forward wing has full-span control surfaces and is thus similar to a canard wing, but is considerably larger. The aircraft has unusual landing gear, with the main wheels located at the tips of the forward wing. The Quickie Q2 or Q2 is a two-seat version of the unique Rutan Quickie, produced in kit form by the Quickie Aircraft Corporation founded by Tom Jewett and Gene Sheehan. Canadian Garry LeGare was involved in the design. The elevators are fitted to the forward wing so that all pitch control comes from the forward wing, similar to the canard configuration. The Q2 is a "taildragger" with fixed (non-retractable) main wheels incorporated into integral streamlined wheel pants located at the tips of the forward wing. Propeller ground clearance was a problem in the early Quickie aircraft fabricated with highly flexible fiberglass spar caps... and those aircraft were susceptible to prop-strikes during hard landings. Subsequently, the use of full span, tapered, carbon fiber spars in the Q-200 added significant stiffness to the forward wing/canard... this development substantially reduced the tendency of the aircraft to porpoise and experience propeller damage. There are well in excess of 600 Quickie aircraft of various models registered around the world. Specifications below are for the Q2 model.
