Acme Aero Struts Into The BackCountry With Tailwheel Airplanes

For some, seeing the word “Acme” conjures up images of “Wile E. Coyote and RoadRunner”, for others it’s a chain of supermarkets in the Northeastern USA. To us here at AirVenture 2022, Acme Aero is anything but hurriedly put together with the sole effort of catching the RoadRunner!

Acme Aero, based in the Charlotte, NC area is a veteran-owned business that specializes in Light Sport Aircraft suspension that takes the “bounce” out of a landing, within reason, and does away with the traditional bungees, while also offering a measure of redundancy not available with the former!

Since its founding in 2004, seeking to bring more technology Acme Aero has designed, engineered, and built a lineup of suspension units for the main gear (Black Ops, Pro Series, and Ranger Series) as well as a shock-absorbing unit for tailwheel aircraft called the Stinger! The use of carbon-fiber or machined cylinders is dependent on the mission and the ‘vehicle’.

Mr. Chris Burger proudly exclaimed that their products are made in the USA, and if they’re not making a component in-house, the next nearest facility is only 30 miles away! Being in NASCAR country provides access to additional machining resources, and the seasonality works well for both parties!

They have manufactured ‘specialized components’ for the military using the “most basic of requirements” in the interest of secrecy and worked with drones as well as uncrewed aerial vehicles undergoing testing and development.

Acme Aero has partnered with CarbonCub to provide off-the-production-line aircraft with these struts installed, instead of it being an after-market add-on, and in addition to being an OEM for CarbonCub, they also provide struts for Aviat Husky, LegendCub, and KitFox!

For example, one strut model utilizes a combination of a nitrogen charge shot, a mechanical spring surrounded by oil, and a valve-piston stack that permits them to change valves depending on spring rates! So, “if a Bear decides to snack on the cylinder and the oil drains out, you won’t be stuck on a sandbar, you’re still got a spring suspension”.

Interestingly, Acme Aero offers a lifetime guarantee on their struts, and like CubCrafters, listens to the voice of the customer in being the guiding light of their innovative developments and general business operations.

FMI: https://acmeaerofab.com