Where Burt Rutan's going, he doesn't need runways. Rutan is a legendary airplane designer. Besides making a variety of designs for the home-build airplane market, his creations have circled the Earth and made it to space. His Voyager airplane crossed the globe in 9 days without refueling in 1986, and his company Scaled Composites built the private spacecraft SpaceShipOne.

SkiGull, Rutan's latest design, isn't out to set any records. Instead, it aims to open almost the entire planet to air travel, by landing almost anywhere on land or sea. At least, open it up for Rutan and his wife; there are no plans or any indication of plans for the SkiGull to enter production.

SkiGull is Rutan's 47th aircraft design. He unveiled the plane concept earlier this summer at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture conference in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Seating just two, a pilot with a passenger behind, the SkiGull has a sturdy yet lightweight composite body.