SkyStar Aircraft Powers Up For Sport Pilot

SkyStar Aircraft Corporation says it is taking the next step in preparing for Sport Pilot. This time, however, it's more than simple reorganization.

Frank Miller, President and CEO of the SkyStar's Experimental and Manufacturing Division, says, "SkyStar made important reorganization commitments in January, and now it is time to enhance our manufacturing abilities. We know that the first reaction our potential customers will have when Sport Pilot is announced will be to start the kit projects that have been on hold while the rule worked its way through the Federal labyrinth. We need to be ready for that surge in business."

To that end, SkyStar has increased its production staff by 30% over the last 60 days, and is working to boost production efficiencies. "SkyStar wants to be sure that we can deliver product of high quality in the least amount of time," Miller said, "and that will not happen if we simply wait until the rule is finalized. We need to stay on the front side of the power curve."

Ed Downs, now President of SkyStar's Sport Plane Division, echoes Miller's "power curve" analogy. "The efforts needed to ready the Kitfox Series 7 for mass production are enormous, and the Sport Plane Division cannot plan to simply feed off of the existing homebuilt resources. These moves will, momentarily, increase operating cost, but will result in an ability to quickly react to increased sales." As many who watch the homebuilt industry closely already know, certification of a kit airplane to meet the very high, industry-defined standards will not be a simple task. It will take time and financial commitment. And, continues Downs, "SkyStar is not just talking about commitment to a future Sport Plane. We are committing to the entire product line, and doing it now. You can expect to see kits having ever-increasing quality and ease of assembly as these new resources come on line."

FMI: www.skystar.com