Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.
Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/323139
EAA Experimenter 9 QUICKSILVER AERONAUTICS Sport 2S model has been verifi ed as a special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA), and the model will be marketed as the Sport S2SE, the com- pany announced. The company is ramping up produc- tion, said Will Escutia, Quicksilver Aero- nautics president. The company is taking a new approach to production by creating "extensions," or manufacturing locations other than the headquarters factory. In ac- cordance with the LSA regulations, these extensions require Quicksilver to maintain full quality control while putting produc- tion closer to customers. This is the fi rst time a company has opened multiple extension facilities, and Quicksilver plans to open two new facili- ties at Air-Tech Inc. of Reserve, Louisiana, and in Rochester, Minnesota. The Sport S2SE will be available for $39,999. Quicksilver reports it is one of the lowest-priced S-LSA models on the market. Amateur-built kits are also available. For more information, visit www.QuicksilverAircraft.com . Quicksilver Sport S2SE Earns S-LSA Approval, Entering Production SOLAR FLIGHT ANNOUNCED that test fl ights of the Sunseeker Duo, the fi rst solar-powered airplane with a passenger seat, have been ongoing since it fi rst fl ew on December 17, 2013, at the company's facilities in Voghera, Italy. The company aims to have the aircraft tested and ready to of er passenger fl ights by summer. The Sunseeker Duo is Solar Flight's third solar-powered air- plane. Thanks to improved technology, this latest addition to the lineup features lithium batteries with seven times the capability of the company's fi rst ef ort, Sunseeker I. That aircraft made history in the summer of 1990 when Solar Flight's Eric Raymond fl ew it across the United States—the fi rst solar-powered aircraft to do so. The Sunseeker II was notable in its fi rst crossing of the Alps. The project is led by Raymond and his wife, Irena. Sunseeker Duo Makes First Powered Flights China using Zenith CH 750 aircraft for pilot training—Zenith Aircraft recently shipped its 45th kit for a STOL CH 750 to China. Once they arrive in China, AGRHA Corporation assembles the Zenith kits on a production line, fully assembling the aircraft to factory specifi cations that include the Rotax 912 ULS engine and Dynon SkyView avionics. The aircraft are then test-fl own and tweaked to perfection before delivery to fl ight schools around the country. ProCub Lite demonstrates 350-fpm climb at 3,900 feet density altitude—James Wiebe of Belite Aircraft recently posted a short blog entry demonstrating the climb performance of the ProCub Lite on a hot day. Climbing out in 90-degree weather and with the enormous 21-inch tundra tires, the Polini Thor 250 pulled up at 350 feet per minute climb rate. Click here to read James' blog. ICON announces plant location—In mid- May, ICON Aircraft announced it has selected Vacaville, California, as its new home. Later this year ICON will begin moving into a 140,000-square-foot facil- ity adjacent to the airport in Vacaville. This facility will consolidate all company functions, including aircraft design, manufacturing, sales, training, service, and corporate headquarters. Just Aircraft ships 500th kit—Just Air- craft recently shipped its 500th kit, a Su- perSTOL, to James Coonan in Ransom, Illinois. Kits have gone to all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries. Although the company is still shipping kits for the Highlander, the majority of sales in the past year have been Super- STOLs. Since the SuperSTOL was intro- duced last year, kit sales have more than doubled, and the company has added a second shift to keep up with demand. Briefl y Noted… E A A E X P _ J u n e 1 4 . i n d d 9 EAAEXP_June14.indd 9 6 / 3 / 1 4 8 : 3 7 A M 6/3/14 8:37 AM