Owner of kit serial number 5 takes to the air three months after starting construction

On June 29th the Twister kit plane serial no. 5, was awarded its Airworthiness Certification. The next day, June 30, 2004 and three months after getting the go ahead for building to begin, Mike Friend, kit owner, took the Twister on its first flight. The flight over the Arlington Airfield lasted a joyful 20 minutes. When Friend touched down at Pacific AeroSport LLC, the large smile on his face said it all.

Chris Klix, owner of Pacific AeroSport, LLC and leader of the crew that assisted Friend through the building process, was pleased as well. Minutes later a congratulatory e-mail was sent to the designers in Germany. They had achieved what they had set out to do three months earlier. The Twister is unlike any other kit plane on the market to date. The materials used and design of the aircraft clearly emphasizes the high tech nature and 21st century advancements of the aircraft industry.

Klix said, "The Twister is a sophisticated airplane, using state-of-the-art technology and clever design features to create a kit that anyone can quickly build into a real attention-getter".

Three months earlier on March 30, 2004, Pacific AeroSport, LLC, at Arlington, Washington, began construction of the first kit-built example of the Twister single seat aircraft.  The Twister, designed by Silence Aircraft of Verl, Germany, and manufactured by DG Flugzeugbau of Bruchsal, Germany, is to be sold in the USA and Canada in fast-build kit form by Pacific AeroSport, LLC.  This airplane will set new standards for safety and efficiency.

It is equipped with a BRS-5 Ballistic Parachute Recovery System, attached to a Kevlar cockpit "safety cell" using technology borrowed from the Formula 1 racing industry. The Twister's Jabiru 2200 engine, coupled with electric retractable landing gear, will provide a 135-mile per hour economy cruise with a very low fuel burn of only 4 gallons per hour.

The carbon fiber and fiberglass structure uses Nomex honeycomb cores for a light, but strong airframe.  The wings and tail structure follows DG Glider Design practice, allowing quick and easy removal for storage in an enclosed quality Cobra trailer. The FAA has evaluated the Twister fast-build kit for inclusion on the "51%" list. The kit has been found to meet the criteria for Experimental-Amateur built kits pending the complete translation of the building instructions from German to English.

The first American kit, shown in the photos in gray primer, still looks good against the blue sky of Arlington. The airplane will be presented to the US flying public at the 2004 EAA Arlington Airshow and the 2004 EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. (Display Area 419-420)

FMI: www.pacificaerosport.com