Company Overview: Personal Aircraft Manufacturers, SOCATA

12 August 2010

There’s certainly no shortage of personal aircraft manufacturers around the globe. Many have fallen on irreparable hard times and have had to close up shop, but others are able to stay above the fold due to their innovation and commercial appeal. SOCATA is an aircraft manufacturer with a hundred years under its belt - so it’s seen the best of times and the worst of times.

It’s hard to picture aircrafts back in 1911, but that’s when the company we know of as DAHER-SOCATA today got its start. Leon and Robert Morane, along with Raymond Saulnier, opened a small aircraft company in France and began production of the Model A.

The company, named Aeroplanes Morane-Saulnier, had a bit of immediate success due to their cutting-edge wing warping technology that allowed for high-speed maneuverability. However, their first commercially successful plane didn’t come until the Morane-Saulnier G, the first release of a long series of aircraft.

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Company Overview - Private Aircraft Manufacturers Mooney

04 August 2010

Personal aircraft manufacturing companies have been around longer than jumbo jet liner companies. When man first took to the skies, it wasn’t in 747s; it was in small, personal aircraft. That style of flight, while certainly not as trendy, has always been around and has been going strong throughout the years, as evidenced by the Mooney Airplane Company (MAC).

MAC’s headquarters is located in Kerrville, Texas, USA, and this American company has been producing airplanes for private use on an impressive scale since the mid 1900s. Mooney was founded in 1929 and, although falling on hard times in 2008, the company sold off its back stock of aircraft in 2010 and plans on resuming business as usual going forward.

Mooney produces single-engine general aviation airplanes. If the company name sounds familiar to aircraft enthusiasts, that’s because Mooney’s most famous for their achievement of the first pressurized piston-powered single-engine aircraft, called the M22 Mustang. They’re also credited with the M20TN Acclaim Type S, the fastest airplane at the time.

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Overview of Groundbreaking Light Aircraft Manufacturer Grob Aerospace

25 June 2010

With popular models of aircraft to their credit like the Grob G 103 Twin Astir sailplane and Grob G109B motor glider, Grob Aerospace is a popular German-based aircraft manufacturer with nearly four decades of aviation experience.

Grob doesn’t turn out luxury private jets or huge jumbo liners like other companies, but they have been ahead of the game for a while. They first started using the strong and lightweight carbon fiber reinforced polymer way back in the 1970s, when other companies were still using inferior materials that added weight, drag and price to their aircraft.

The Grob line started back in 1926, when Ernst Grob first started producing internal combustion engines and other parts for the automobile industry. Ernst’s son, Dr. Burkhart Grob, wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps in terms of manufacturing. However, the world was going in a new direction. Air travel was becoming popular and the rush was on to personalize it.

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Overview of Private Plane Manufacturers Cirrus

16 June 2010

Before the economic downturn of 2008 put on a damper on any visions of futuristic taxi-like air travel, Cirrus Design was well on their way to becoming one of the most successful small aircraft design companies on the planet.

They’re still a popular aircraft manufacturer today, and they’re continuing to push toward a future where light aircraft are far more commonplace in the skies.

Cirrus Design is located in Duluth, Minnesota. They’re strong employers in a region that desperately needs it. The Northern United States was all but abandoned by auto manufacturers, so the 1,300 people employed by Cirrus are a blessing to the entire community. There are also manufacturing facilities in North Dakota, the Isle of Wight, England, and in Brisbane, Australia.

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Extreme Experiences - Russian Top Gun Adventure

10 June 2010

Not everyone in the world is cut out to be a military pilot. With the quick reaction time needed, the keen vision required and a devil-may-care attitude when approaching combat, only the bravest men and women in the world sign up to fly fighter jets. However, there are plenty among us who would love the adventure aspect of it, and Russia’s Top Gun adventure provides it.

The Russian Top Gun Adventure is a week-long package provided by Incredible Adventures. The basic idea here is to take a tour of Russia, learn about the history of flight, and suit up for your own sound barrier-breaking flight in a legitimate fighter jet.

The jets used here aren’t retired military jets or planes that couldn’t make the grade. The MiG-29 and MiG-31 are top-of-the-line fighter jets that can easily fly to the edge of the atmosphere and reach incredible speeds. Any guest will be accompanied by a world-class pilot, of course, but the real fun is in having control of the jet for a short time.

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Company Overview of Aircraft Manufacturers Eclipse Aviation Corporation

01 June 2010

Technically, the Eclipse Aviation Corporation no longer exists. In 2009, a group of investors formed to purchase the company’s assets and subsequently named it Eclipse Aerospace. However, the company is in limbo at the moment, and they’re in the process of funding manufacturing and employee hires.

The original company was the manufacturer of the Eclipse 500. This lightweight jet was popular for a while, but obviously not popular enough to carry the company. Back in 1998, Vern Raburn founded the Eclipse Aviation Corporation with the help from his former boss, Bill Gates. Bill became a major shareholder and the company first took off in Scottsdale, Arizona.

While planning for the twin-engine Eclipse 500, the company relocated to Albuquerque and began to manufacture their first prototype of the jet in 2001. The first design concepts were all wrong. The engines being used were not right for the jet’s overall design, and production was scrapped and the team went back to the drawing board.

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The Paris Air Show 2011 Marks 103 Years Of Aviation Exhibition Excellence

26 May 2010

Held at the Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, the Paris Air Show is an international trade fair for the entire aerospace business. This commercial air show takes place every odd year and caters to the military, corporations and private customers. The last show was in 2009 and the next is scheduled for June 2011.

The Paris Air Show first arrived on the scene due to changing times regarding our use of transport. In 1908, during the Paris Automobile Show, event organizers decided to dedicate a portion of the show to the emerging aircraft. The following year in 1909, the aircraft got its own show held at the Grand Palais.

At the time, the Paris Air Show was an annual event and was doing quite well. The show happened for four years in a row until interrupted by the First World War. After the show returned in 1919, it started to be held in alternating years. The show took another break during the Second World War and returned in 1946 (held on odd years only starting in 1949).

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The DAHER-SOCATA TBM 850 - a jet-prop hybrid small aircraft

25 February 2010

Founded in 1911, the DAHER-SOCATA (formerly just Socata) general aviation group has produced over 17,000 airplanes and other items. During their tenure as one of the worlds more popular small aircraft manufacturers, SOCATA has also developed a worldwide service and support network. This network helped with their launch of the groups TBM 850.

The DAHER-SOCATA TBM 850 is a smaller aircraft thats aimed at owners and operators who want an aircraft that performs like a jet but is available at the price of a turboprop. The single-engine TBM 850 is available for around $2.9 million, making it one of the more affordable models on the market today.

The jet performance comes from the planes unique pairing of high-tech engine components and state-of-the-art navigational features. The Pratt & Whitney PT6A engine is ahead of its time in terms of pure performance from a relatively lightweight engine, and the improved flight deck model makes the TBM a maneuvering marvel.

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Concorde - The fastest commercial airliner in history

26 January 2010

The Concorde is a type of commercial airliner that flies through the skies well past the sound barrier. The plane is so fast that, on a cross-country trip from New York to California, it can actually land on the west coast before it took off from the east - according to the time zone differences, obviously.

Although the Concorde is a commonplace and popular aircraft today, there’s a story behind this airliner, showcasing a few struggles along the way. This story of officially begins around 1956. In November of that year, the Supersonic Transport Aircraft Committee was developed and funded in order to study supersonic air travel, and namely build an airliner that could break speed records.

For the next three years, the top engineers in the field worked to develop various plans and test theories, and were ultimately set on 2 separate designs for an airplane. This was a merger between the British Minister of Aviation and the French; the two countries would split the cost. This was a hard-fought battle, and it took the Sud Aviation of France and the British Aircraft Corporation a long time to reach an agreement in 1961.

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Overview of Personal Aircraft Manufacturers Icon

07 January 2010

Since the Wright Brothers first took flight in 1903, the world of aircraft has changed tremendously. While most of today’s aircraft manufacturers are tried-and-true mainstays in the market, some of the more popular are actually brand new companies, doing things a little bit differently by breaking from the status quo.

Founded in 2005, Icon Aircraft Company is a privately owned and operated business aiming to make aircraft and aviation more accessible to the general public. Only a little more than four years in the business, Icon is already considered to be among the top in their respective field - and, ironically, they haven’t released a plane yet.

Icon deals in aircraft differently by focusing on the fun more than flying. Instead of designing and developing aircraft that are suitable for merely transportation, Icon develops a line of sleek, stylish planes that are both attractive and fun to fly.

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Lancair International Inc - Pioneers of the homebuilt kitplane

09 November 2009

Founded in 1981, Lancair International Inc. is a manufacturer of aviation aircraft kits based out of Redmond, Oregon in the United States. Overall, the brand offers a relatively wide selection of kitplanes to choose from, but they’re most well-known for their high-performance single-engine airplane.

Modern ingenuity allows Lancair’s single-engine to easily cruise at speeds faster than most twin-engine designs. What sets Lancair apart from other aviation manufacturers is that their composite materials used in their line of kitplanes makes their craft lightweight, very strong, fast and, most importantly, affordable. For these reasons, Lancair is one of the biggest names in the world in terms of aircraft kits.

Lance Neibauer founded Lancair in 1981. It started with a clear, streamlined purpose: to produce composite aircraft kits for the homebuilder to enjoy. Although kitplanes are legitimate airplanes that require licensed pilots and all the training you’d expect for other planes, their small, compact design make them a favorite of solo flyers and hobbyists all over the globe.

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