Just Shake The Box And Out Comes....
Glasair Aviation has revolutionized the concept of homebuilt
aircraft with the advent of their Customer Assembly Center (CAC)
Program, which makes it possible for a pilot to taxi the aircraft
of his dreams onto an active runway in less than 3 months.
Glasair’s CAC Program (currently available for Sportsman
2+2 customers) was designed for pilots who would rather spend their
time flying than building. This unique program has led pilots who
heretofore have only considered buying a ”certified”
aircraft to take several weeks to assemble the aircraft that suits
their personal tastes and mission profiles much more
accurately.
David Codding just tested the CAC program by setting aside three
weeks to assemble his new Sportsman aircraft: 2 weeks for airframe
assembly and 1 week for installing everything from the firewall
forward.
Though skeptical at the beginning, Codding completed his
Sportsman to the promised level of assembly in a mere three weeks.
All that remained at the end of that time frame were installation
of some fairings, instrument panel, wiring, upholstery and
paint.
“After the holidays, if Mr. Codding stays with it, he
should be on the flightline in another six to eight weeks,”
said Glasair President Mikael Via. “He left here highly
motivated to get it done. With the CAC we move people through a
process that would otherwise take months to complete. Before David
arrived, our factory staff had put in tremendous effort to
streamline the assembly process, making it as efficient as humanly
possible. The work is really intense, but so is the
progress.”
Customers work standard eight hour days, five days a week, for
two or three weeks, depending on whether they want to focus only on
the airframe or add on the powerplant installation.
“Going into this, I had no idea that it would be possible
to stand back at the end of the first day and every day thereafter
and look at so much accomplishment,” said Codding.
“There isn’t a ten-second break where your hands are
idle, and yet the days roll by very quickly. I’d always been
afraid how much time would have to go into a homebuilt aircraft
project, but with the debut of the new CAC Program, this is a
non-issue for guys like me. I enjoyed every minute of it and expect
to continue with the inertia. Actually, I wouldn’t imagine
taking on a project like this without the CAC and the truly nice,
helpful professionals that made it happen.”
Fully approved by the FAA, Glasair views the CAC as totally new
option for pilots who simply do not have the time or desire to
build a typical homebuilt aircraft. “Simply stated, this
unique program attracts pilots who have never considered getting
involved in a long, drawn-out construction process,” said
Via. “Anyone considering the purchase of a certificated
aircraft really owes it to themselves to take a hard look at our
Sportsman/CAC program because it was specifically designed for the
pilot who wants a new aircraft with better performance than a
typical Cessna, Piper or Beech, but for less than half the
cost!”