Compiled By ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell

We made some changes this year in the manner in which we name the most notable aircraft of the year. Normally announced at Oshkosh, we decided to fold these announcements into our Year-End Wrap-Up in order to take advantage of the rest of the year's events and input as well as to make such an announcement truly representative of the full year.

We've also spread out some of the gelt... with special awards to Certificated as well as SportPlanes, an award for the Most Impressive manufacturer, a "special" award for the best SpacePlane of the Year (like there was a lot of competition... eh?), a round-up of the Duds and disappointments, and a look forward to what looks promising for 2005. Sit back, check it out and let us know what you think of our choices for the year.

Liberty XL-2: Mangled By Moronic Management?

All certificated and NO place to go? Here's one of the true tragedies of GA... despite the seeming inefficiencies and inabilities of what can only charitably be called a "challenged" management team, the little Liberty XL-2 managed to get a Type Certificate this year... but one that is severely limited and seems to pose more problems than solutions.

Sinking fast, this program is leaving disappointed purchasers in it's wake after a number of promises go unfulfilled. Despite a recent reported cash injection, we have severe doubts that this program can get back on track unless they throw out the team that mucked this program up to begin with and get back to work to finish the rest of the bird's needed certification chores, get into serious production, and do some HEAVY work in winning back a disillusioned industry and customer base. This program is one of the major muck-ups we've seen in a while.

Micco/Lanshe SP20/22: A Double Tragedy

As bad as the Liberty fiasco was, the Micco/Lanshe debacle was not only far worse... it  seemed to be that way on purpose. I mean... could something this screwed up REALLY happen by accident?

Melded into a single company, so-called aero-entrepreneur Wadi Rahim made a convoluted deal with Micco owners, the Seminole Indian Nation (who have horribly mismanaged this program since Chief Billie was ousted), and Lake Aircraft's Armand Rivard to bring the Micco and Lake lines under one roof.

It went to hell pretty swiftly. Worse; the result may well have criminal implications, as a number of expensive assets reportedly disappeared, some interesting games were played with legal paperwork, allegedly damaged and used airplanes were sold as virtually new, MANY lies were told, and Rahim finally disappeared leaving debts everywhere, a staff unpaid, and a bad taste in the mouth of an East Central Florida community that once couldn't do enough to support general aviation. His many critics call him a con-man and our direct experience with this fellow seems to bear that out. In the meantime, the courts are finally restoring Lake Aircraft to Rivard while the damage to Micco may ultimately be fatal.

Micco, in particular, was once a promising program built around a speedy little aerobatic hot-rod that was an excellent cross-country bird while also promising a level of excitement unheard of in a high-performance retractable SE GA bird. Unfortunately; the whole program now lays in waste and GA is the poorer for it all. What a damned shame. 

Adam A500/A700: Wishing and Hyping Can't Cure Microjet Envy...

Don't get us wrong, we WANT to like these birds... the A500 anyway (the A700, however, may simply be too ugly to be allowed to live... grin), but the BS ratio exuding from Adam has been a mite too onerous to ignore.

Mind you, the pigeons ARE coming home to roost as cert date after cert date comes and goes, and other issues pop up to make this once-promising program look less likely as each month passes. The A500 program seemed like a hot property a few years ago... a great designer was enlisted to engineer a much-needed airplane for the high-end private and low-end business operator... BUT, then damaging and credible inside info started spilling forth while Rick Adam's hype got the better of a company that, had it stuck to building a high performance piston twin, would probably have been rolling them out the door as we speak...

However; microjet envy seems to have gotten the better of them. Serious reports of internal problems, questionable aircraft orders, weird certification plans, and promises that (we now know) were impossible to keep, have sucked them deeper and further into the doldrums of the "companies that appear doomed to blow it."

We hope they get their act together, we really do... but unless the A500 gets into production quickly, and the A700 hype gets back to reality, we have a feeling that this program is heading for the dumper. 

Europa: The Little SportPlane That Was Mismanaged Into Failure?

Ouch... you know that feeling that comes down your spine when someone drags their fingernails down a chalkboard? Well, that's kinda how we feel in writing about the Brit Bankruptcy filing of the original Europa manufacturing operation. It all went to hell this  summer..,. with the horrible result being the deplorable way that builders and customers were treated as the mess sorted itself out.

Now in new hands, there is a huge task ahead of the new owners... a great design has been tarnished, it's US presence has been effectively killed off (and left some very bad blood in it's wake on this side of the pond), and after all, this is not a new design with a pent-up demand to help them see their way though to the future. What there is, though, is a great little airplane with excellent flying properties and outstanding performance that NEEDS solid service and support. If it gets it, this truly delightful little flyer (one of my favorite of all time... with a higher giggle-per-flight-hour ratio than just about any ten other SportPlanes), may yet survive. We hope so.

Next... ANN enumerates our most notable certified aircraft nominees and then names the Top Birds in this and other categories... don't miss it!

FMI: Comments? Tell Us What YOU Think!