Challenger Maker Celebrates 20 Years

Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Corp, maker of the popular Challenger series of single and two-place ultralights and light aircraft kits, marks its 20th continuous year in business on March 1. President David Goulet founded the business in Moline, Illinois, and still operates out of the same facility at 3810 34th St.

Quad City has sold 3,000 aircraft since that time, and 2,700 are flying, Goulet said. "Generally, we aim to sell about 150 aircraft per year," he said. The high-water mark for sales was 1992, when the company's 10 employees churned out 250 aircraft kits.

How'd He Do It?

He attributes the company's longevity to good word-of-mouth advertising, exceptional service, and the aircraft themselves. "The aircraft does everything pretty well," Goulet said. "It's not the fastest, not the slowest, just a nice airplane to fly."

The company's two most popular models are the two-place standard and two-place clipped-wing. Goulet recommends the 48-hp Rotax 503 to most customers because of its simplicity and ease of installation. Quad City sells about 10 floatplanes per year, which require the additional power of the 65-hp Rotax 582 engine.

For Now, Kits Only

Goulet is watching developments of sport pilot/light-sport aircraft closely. He does not plan to offer finished aircraft, but may offer a satellite finishing factory for customers to complete their aircraft.

FMI: www.quadcitychallenger.com