Help Rename The Parrot, Win A Valuable Prize

"What's in a name?" was a line that William Shakespeare put in the mouth of one of his better-known characters. But then, no one ever offered him a Garmin GPSMAP 396 for solving a thorny marketing problem. The problem? A plane that outperforms its low-flying name.

"Great plane, but what's with the name?" That was a common reaction to the Czech Aircraft Works Parrot Special Light Sport Aircraft when the factory-built, all-metal high-winger made its debut.

Chip Erwin, the president of Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) and designer of the plane, might have resisted changing the name -- he dreamed it up in the first place -- but instead, he's come to agree that "Parrot" doesn't fit. Now he and the airplane's importer and sales and service firm are looking for a better name for the plane.

"The Parrot, as a bird, isn’t a particularly good cross-country flier," Erwin explains. "But the Parrot, as an airplane, is, well, brilliant." (He might be slightly biased here -- he designed it, after all). "It's as fast as the rules allow. Its streamlined, clean shape allows long-range cruise at mild power settings; it's roomy and comfortable, with plenty of useful load; and it handles so well... It just doesn't make sense to call such a machine a 'Parrot.'"

Danny DeFelici, who heads Sport Aircraft Works, the importer of several aircraft including the (for now) Parrot, agrees. "It ought to be called something that reflects the engineering and the performance. Or maybe it should describe the styling; the hydroformed, compound curves in the sheetmetal are so clean and modern-looking. The all-metal construction is so comfortable, repairable, insurable -- it’s not a 'Parrot.' It's... something else, something cooler."

That Parrot (or whatever it will be called) is a unique SLSA. Thanks to that hydroformed construction, and the experienced aircraft metalworkers that manufacture the plane, many pilots mistake the sleek plane for a composite design, but it's actually made of riveted aluminum, just like a Cessna.

Erwin's design combines two components seldom seen together, a high-visibility bubble canopy and a high wing, using an imaginative planform with a forward-swept wing. It not only works aerodynamically and structurally, but also visually: the airplane is strikingly attractive, the photographs here don't do it justice.

These airplanes (the Parrot and its stablemates, the Mermaid amphibian and Sport Cruiser low-cost SLSA) are the product of a unique, efficient international partnership. Chip Erwin's company builds the planes in Stare Mesto (literally "Old Town") in the Czech Republic, where Wisconsin native Erwin makes his home these days. While the planes are built in Europe by Czech craftsmen, from the beginning, Chip has insisted that they use parts and tools familiar to American mechanics, for maintainability; unlike some European metal SLSAs, the aluminum used is standard American alloy and dimensions, exported from the USA, for example. Danny DeFelici's Florida firm imports the complete planes, and Danny does a lot of the development work and test flying. Sportair USA International Sport Aircraft, headed by retired fighter pilot Bill Canino, will provide sales and service.

Canino will be showing a brand-new Parrot at AirVenture this week. "The Parrot will be on the most prominent corner of our site and the first thing you see from the main concourse," he promised. SportAir USA is already familiar with the high quality of Czech aircraft production -- it's already selling the StingSport SLSA, built in Hradec Kralove.

And if you go to the Sportair USA exhibit at Airventure 06 -- it's right inside the West Main Gate, and just south of the Cirrus display -- you can not only see the plane in its last appearance as a Parrot, you can also enter your suggestion for its new name.

Just to sweeten the pot, the winner doesn't just get to see his or her name made real, but also walks off with a Garmin GPSMAP 396. Much more than a handheld GPS, the 396 is Garmin's state of the art If multiple entrants suggest the same name, a random drawing will break the tie. The decision of the contest organizers is final.

The one hint that came through to us was that Chip Erwin and the gang would really like a name that refers to or is inspired by the particular strengths and capabilities of the airplane, as recounted by Erwin and Defelici above.

Don't choose "Machbuster Thundercrunch," though; it's taken. That's Aero-News Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell's entry.

The pixel-stained wretches of Aero-News have another request, too: leave "Sport," "Air" and "Star" out of it, as we're already gnashing our garments and rending our teeth trying to keep them straight.

And no word yet on whether unsuccessful name bids will get a consolation prize -- maybe a cracker?

FMI: www.sportair-usa.com, www.sportaircraftworks.com, www.parrot.aero  (Expect this one to change after the show!