Glasair's Mikael Via On "Two Weeks To Taxi," Part Two

Yesterday, we began our chat with to Glasair's Mikael Via (right) regarding his company's innovative new homebuilt assistance program. It's called "Two Weeks to Taxi" -- and as the name implies, Glasair maintains that by utilizing their program, a pilot can build their new kit aircraft in two weeks -- with a little help from their friends.

As we learned yesterday, however, that "help" isn't along the lines of what some "builder assistance" programs have done in the past. Instead, imagine having an extremely well-organized shop available to you, complete with ALL the tools you need to build your new Sportsman 2+2 (and when they say ALL, they mean ALL... down to individual drills for each size bit you need.) Separate work stations mean the builder focuses on one task at a time... and moves on to a new, well-organized station after that task is complete.

• Listen To Part One Here

Give Glasair two weeks of your time -- say, your next vacation from work -- and they'll make it as easy as possible for you to build your new airplane, yourself. All for under $130,000... including the cost of your next airplane, engine, and avionics.

As we make our plans to spend some quality time in Arlington, WA for our next vacation, let's listen to part two of Via's chat with ANN's Jim Campbell. Jim toured the company's new construction center last week... and no wonder he was a little reluctant to return to Florida afterwards.

In today's installment, Via tells ANN there's a reason it's called the "Two Weeks To Taxi" program... because while the aircraft will be technically ready for its first flight at the end of the program, it's a far better idea to have the aircraft safety inspected, and flight checked afterwards. While Glasair wants people to be able to build their new plane quickly, they of course want them to be safe, too.

This feature is in addition to our daily news briefing -- available in either a quick "Touch And Go" format or an expanded Aero-Briefing.

ANN Daily Touch N Go: 04.28.06 (ANN's Short-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Daily Aero-Briefing: 04.28.06 (ANN's Long-Form Daily News Program)

ANN Special Feature -- Glasair's Mikael Via, Part Two: 04.28.06 (ANN Special Feature, with Glasair's Mikael Via on the company's new "Two Weeks to Taxi" program.)

Our DAILY programs consist of (at least) three separate products... the first is a short synopsis of the previous 24 hours of Aero-News, in brief, spanning only a few minutes (max) and in a size/format that will allow it to be mailed as part of a Daily Aero-Cast subscription; a more comprehensive DAILY news product that will cover the previous 24 hours of news in a somewhat more detailed fashion, and a feature Aero-Cast that will center on one of the more important subject or topics of the day in considerable depth and detail. This is how these products break down...

• ANN's Daily 'Touch & Go' Aero-Cast: A quick look at the most recent news of the day... short, succinct and to the point. The usual 'Touch & Go' takes but a few minutes and is a summary, only, of the day's events. It only takes a few minutes of your time and will be available by subscription, shortly.
• ANN's Daily Briefing Aero-Cast: The Daily ANN Report (ANNRep for short), is a more comprehensive look at the day's news. We'll give you the whole buzz... the news and features that occupy the forefront of aviation news as well as solid background on the subjects that aviators and other aviation professionals need to stay informed on.
• ANN's Daily 'ASR' Feature Aero-Cast: ANN will be offering a Daily 'Aero-News Special Report.' This involves a more in-depth view of a story or two that dominated (or will be dominating) the day's news. Far more detailed than any single story in our standard ANN Daily Reports, this is a solid chance to get a close look at the stories and topics that matter. ASR features may include exclusive interviews with Aviation's Newsmakers, ANN's Special Investigative reports and solid analysis of the stories that will have undeniable impact on the world of aviation and aerospace. We're tremendously excited about this particular product in that it truly adds nuance and background to important breaking news stories and personalities. While our current news format allows for extensive reporting and information dissemination, ANN's ASRs should set the bar even higher. ANN has become a pivotal force in the world of aviation in the six years that have passed since we undertook the immense task of becoming the aviation world's DAILY news and information service... but with the all-new news services we're offering as part of our Aero-Cast line-up, we expect to become even more indispensable to the industry we serve.

Check them out, let us know what you think and be sure to keep those news-tips and program suggestions coming... ANN is ALL about what YOU want to know about in the world of aviation and aerospace.

FMI: www.aero-news.net/podcasts