Avid Aircraft - This latter company acquired the rights to the series of designs and set up production in Ennis, Montana, USA where production of kits was re-established in a new facility. Customers were also able to complete their aircraft kits at that facility.
In later years the company produced the Airdale Airdale, and the Airdale Avid Plus kitplanes, which were developments of the Avid Mk IV Hauler. Avid aircraft marketed a series of kitplanes that were somewhat similar to the Kitfox series of planes.
Avid Aircraft
Some of these planes could accept floats. Avid Aircraft also offered a three-seat amphibious aircraft, known as the Avid Catalina. Apparently the manufacturer has gone bankrupt and the exact status of the availability of this line of kitplanes is unknown.
Joachim Schaupp, an ultralight pilot in Germany, wrote in to tell us that he owns an Avid Flyer and thinks it is the best bush plane. (Although he says his dream plane is the DeHavilland Beaver.) Do you agree with him?
Vote here. Specifications: Engine: Rotax 618 2-stroke, 75 HPEmpty Weight: Design – 600 lbs., Actual build – 890 lbs. Passengers: 3 small people Cruise Speed: 75 MPH Max Speed: 90 MPH Stall Speed: 42 MPH Wingspan: 36 ft. Kit Cost
: $19,283 (without engine) Years of Production: 1992-2003 Number Produced: 100 The Bandit was one of a range of aircraft produced by Avid Aircraft. The Company was originally known as Light Aero Inc. and began business in Caldwell, Idaho, USA.
It was founded in 1983 by Dean Wilson to produce the Avid Flyer but, after selling many kits, the company, which changed its name to Avid Aircraft, closed its doors in November 2003 and production of kits was taken over by the Airdale Flying Company.
Avid Aircraft Inc. made its reputation with the original Avid Flyer and Heavy Hauler kit planes. Despite manufacturing well-received kits, the company began to evaporate in the late 1990s. After a series of ownership shuffles, Avid is Airdale Avid, with a line of kits that includes the entry level Mark IV and the Magnum, which has Cub-like performance.
The type was a two-seat side-by-side homebuilt with dual controls. Construction of the wing was of aluminum spars with plywood ribs with Dacron covering. The fuselage was welded steel tube with Dacron covering, the engine cowling being fiberglass.
Floats, skis, wheel-skis could be fitted in lieu of the tricycle or tailwheel undercarriage. Fuel capacity in the wing tanks was normally 34 liters (7.5 Imp gal) but 53 liter (11.7 Imp gal) tanks were optional.
Further models in the Avid range included the Bandit and the Magnum, the former with a Rotax 503 engine, and the latter being a 2-plus-1-seat model having a Lycoming O-320 engine. The Bandit was a cheaper variant of the Mk IV and could be fitted with Aqua 950 floats for operations from lakes and rivers.
Construction was of steel tube with fabric covering. Construction numbers in the Bandit series were known to run from 900 to 1,582 with an E suffix letter added. The Avid Flyer was produced in kit form by Avid Aircraft Inc of Caldwell, Idaho, USA in kit form for amateur constructors, being available in the homebuilt or ultralight category.
It could be purchased as a single kit, or as six separate kits to spread the purchase cost. The Flyer, one of a series of designs by this company, was available in two forms, differing only in the wing installed.
Two forms of interchangeable wings were available, high-lift STOL wings fitted with full-span auxiliary aerofoil flaperons, and short-span 'speed' wings with a different wing section, the latter providing a cruising speed of 177 km/h (110 mph
) and a stalling speed of 65 km/h (40 mph). Avid produced a range of ultralight aircraft for a variety of purposes and to meet customer needs. Examples of just about the entire range of Avid aircraft have been registered under ultralight regulations in New Zealand, including: Mk IV Speedwing ZK-RWT (c/n 782);
Mk IV STOL ZK-PCL (c/n 1388); Flyer Aerobat ZK-FYI (c/n 873) and ZK-VID (c/n AACA/763); Hi-Gross UL ZK-PCM (c/n AACA/1096); Speedwing ZK-MMP (c/n 397); Heavy Hauler ZK-DDD (c/n 744), ZK-OST (c/n 1543-E), ZK-SMH (c/n 745) and ZK-WEN (c/n 1226D);
Mk IV Microlight ZK-CAD (c/n 1207), ZK-DBM (c/n1461), ZK-DLR (c/n 1524D), and ZK-JHW (c/n 1434D), etc. Lane Motor Museum is one of the few museums in the U.S. to specialize in European cars. Some cars are in showroom condition, while others represent typical aging.
Efforts are made to restore each vehicle to near-original specifications. Plane and Pilot builds on more than 50 years of serving pilots and owners of aircraft with the goal of empowering our readers to improve their knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation.
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