Company Will Hold Existing Prices Through April

For those of us who thought it was odd to see a glass panel in a plane bearing a striking resemblance to a Piper Cub... the following news may trip a few mental circuit breakers. American Legend Aircraft Company told Aero-News Monday a BRS whole-airplane parachute system is now available for installation on its Legend Cub light sport aircraft.

Following its engineering and testing efforts, American Legend completed the certification of the BRS system for installation in the Legend Cub. The BRS 6 system is manufactured by Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc. of South St. Paul, MN, and is ASTM compliant for light-sport certified aircraft. Installed on a Legend Cub, the BRS adds 29 pounds, comprises a 40-foot canopy when deployed, and carries a 12-year service life.

American Legend states installation of a BRS parachute provides Legend Cub owners, operators and passengers with an additional level of safety. While the Cub is, by design, a "low-and-slow" airplane -- with an almost-hovering 33 knot stall speed -- having a 'chute onboard will likely give the pilot and passenger added peace-of-mind, in the event of an inflight emergency.

In a more traditional vein, American Legend also announced the approval of the Legend Cub for operation on skis, significantly enhancing winter operations. A Legend Cub first flew with floats in March 2005; the plane comes standard with conventional wheeled gear.

"The winters in the northeast seem to last forever especially if you have a Legend Cub in the hanger and snow piled up against the door!" said Legend Cub customer Dave Finger." The addition of Trick-Air skis has made winter fun again, extending our flying season by four months. The benefit of wheel penetration skis are that we can fly them off our grass field with or without snow, making the Legend an everyday airplane all year round."

American Legend becomes the first among fixed-wing LSA producers to offer the optional skis by TrickAir of Weyauwega, WI. TrickAir's owner has been manufacturing fiberglass components for 30 years for a wide variety of industrial and product manufacturing companies, including many in aviation. The TrickAir ski, a wheel penetration design, proved to be a practical choice for the ski-equipped Legend Cub.

"Our model 1500, a follow-on design to a larger model, can be installed without lifting your airplane," said TrickAir president Rick Disher stated. "This design not only simplifies installation as it skirts the wheel, it is shaped like a wing to reduce drag." Disher continued, "The ski is a composite of materials including vinyl resin, carbon fiber, an expanded PVC core, a structural chromoly frame and replaceable wear strips. The ski rides approximately one-half inch off the ground, so your airplane can be rolled on its own wheels out of the hangar."

American Legend also tells ANN it will hold 2006 pricing on new Legend Cubs throughout Lakeland 2007, deferring its increased pricing plan for orders received through April 30, 2007. Currently, the Legend Cub bases at $84,785; the company expects prices to increase by about 8 percent in May.

"We have anticipated a price increase for some time now, but have delayed any action," said American Legend GM Kurt Sehnert. "The increase has been tied to vendor costs and rising fuel and propane prices. Although we closely manage costs on behalf of our customers, often times we must accept some increases. Other factors in the decision include raw materials price increases and growing personnel costs including the addition of engineering, production and support staff."

American Legend will display the Legend Cub throughout the Lakeland Fly-In, at booth #MD-10.

(Photo on skis courtesy of American Legend Aircraft Company, Jim Wilson Photography)

FMI: www.legend.aero