Welcome, once again, to our annual kit- and plansbuilt-aircraft buyer’s guide. It’s literally the work of a team here at KITPLANES, an effort that begins in the summer and picks up speed rapidly once AirVenture closes and everyone (on the manufacturing side) has had a moment to take a breath and document what may have been introduced at the industry’s one big airshow. It’s been our experience that a lot of companies put all their effort into developing new or revised designs over the winter and spring, debuting their handiwork in Oshkosh—and then take some well-deserved vacation time! We hope to catch them back from a holiday, fresh and ready to go.
With this guide, we strive to be the most thorough, accurate and detailed you will find. For starters, we don’t simply scrape websites and hope for the best. We know that many of the smaller companies spend a lot more time working on products than updating their sites. Plus, a website for a defunct company can linger, zombie-like, until the hosting expires, making it a really poor, outdated reference. Instead, we actually make contact with each manufacturer to verify what’s for sale, what the current prices are and so on.
Leveraging on the success of last year’s format change, we’re sticking to it for this edition. Each aircraft design has its own data block and we’ll continue to show more data for each than we had prior to last year’s guide. (But a note on that: Even more is available from the dataset via our online, searchable guide.)
We’re also continuing with our use of icons to represent aspects such as the availability of quickbuild components and the design’s eligibility as a Light Sport Aircraft under the current rules. As ever, note that some designs will have the LSA marking but may show a higher-than-allowed gross weight. There’s a simple reason. Some Experimental/Amateur-Built versions can often be built to a higher gross weight but could also be licensed at the LSA maximum of 1320 pounds (for landplanes) so they can be flown by Sport Pilots. And because MOSAIC is not yet real, we haven’t made an attempt to note which designs would be considered “MOSAIC ready.” That’s a next-year thing.
We’re also continuing our watch on in-progress designs, which are listed on the next couple of pages. We expect at least a few of these to become actual kits in the next year, and when they do they’ll get noted in the online guide.
Industry Changes
A change we inaugurated last year remains: Companies no longer in business are not shown in this guide. If you want to look up specs for a defunct brand or design, head over to our online guide, where the information remains. In some cases, companies have changed hands. Aeroplane Manufactory, makers of the Chinook line of aircraft, is under new ownership. The assets are owned by Legacy AIR1 and run by Wade Wilson. John and Kim Couch retired last year. Bearhawk Aviation has a new owner, too: Virgil Irwin. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty picked up the Pazmany and Wag-Aero lines in 2024. Thorp Aircraft is under new ownership with a name change from Thorp Central to Thorp Aircraft. Murphy Aircraft says the Elite is back in production.
Some companies are looking for new opportunities. French company Campavia is seeking a U.S.-based partner as importer-distributor, builder-assist or manufacturer, says Jean Charles Duccini. Manna Aviation, which has 11 plans in this guide, is for sale. According to Owner Phil Hale, “At this stage the business still exists, but I am preparing the Plans and IP Licenses for sale. I have determined that I do not have the knowledge to support the builders. I will close the business once the plans have been sold.” Gary James of Mini-IMP Aircraft says, “We are still around, but I am now 70 years old and am trying to find someone to take over for me. The people at Aircraft Spruce have expressed an interest,” but for now the designs will be available from him. The owners of Team Mini-Max are trying to sell the business.
Similarly, at RotorX, the company is “currently engaged with an investment group and is undergoing a due diligence process for a full acquisition and is progressing toward closure.” For now, the A600 is unavailable. Silence Aircraft’s Matthias Strieker says, “My company, Silence Aircraft, is doing very well and we continue to produce the Silence Twister kit as normal. I may soon be looking for a successor company that would like to continue producing this beautiful aircraft.” Finally, Titan Aircraft: Founder John Williams died in 2024 and the company was shuttered for a time. We understand efforts are underway to revive the business, so we’re keeping them in the guide for now.
There are a few companies that we know are or believe to be out of business since last year. DCS Inc. did not respond to numerous requests for updates, so we believe the business has folded. Same for Progressive Aerodyne, Serenity Aviation and Sky Classic Aircraft. Creighton King, the owner and pilot of the CassuTT Last Lap Player, passed away in August 2023, putting sales of plans and parts on an indefinite pause, according to the company. Pipistrel and Tarragon, while still viable, have both discontinued selling kits. Note that we go to great effort to contact nonresponsive companies before declaring them out of business, including use of social media. If, however, you are part of or own a company we’ve incorrectly labeled as deceased, please shoot us an email at editorial@kitplanes.com so we can revise at least the online listing.
Speaking of the online guide, unlimited access to it is available free for our subscribers.
The View Ahead
There are definitely economic influences on our industry, with many kits becoming more expensive simply because the raw materials are costlier. In some cases, the higher prices drive down demand, which in turn hampers profitability and, therefore, causes some companies to have to raise prices yet again.
On top of that, engines (especially the high-power legacy models) have become much more expensive, as have some sectors of the avionics market. The bottom line is this: The traditional metric of estimating that your finished airplane will cost roughly three times the kit may or may not be valid, especially for those with higher-horsepower traditional aero engines. It’s absolutely essential that you create a realistic, conservative budget with generous margins.
And yet activity at both ends of our world, with lightweight aircraft designed for the delight of flying at one end and highly capable machines at the other, remains strong. No doubt, there are more designs than you ever thought existed. So take some time with the guide and allow yourself to be amazed at the choices.
—Marc Cook
