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)