Alan W. Arnold and O.B. Aylors
Just Aircraft Highlander
Highlands, Texas
alananpat@ev1.net
Jim and Heather Butchers Europa XS
Kalamazoo, Michigan
europa@triton.net
Dan Schmidts Aventura II
I thought perhaps your readers would like to know about the Aventura II featured on the cover of the July 2006 issue of your magazine. N511DS was built with the dealer assistance program of Recreational Mobility in Melbourne, Florida, and is now kept at the Merritt Island Airport in Florida. Construction began in April 2005, and completion was in August 2005 followed by the first flight in early September. During the construction period I worked on it from 32 to 40 hours a week. It is stock except for personalizing touches such as the color scheme, carpeted cockpit and glareshield, walnut wood-grain instrument panel and walnut lathe-turned knobs on all the cockpit control levers. I also designed the landing gear position indicating circuit and built easily adjustable actuating arms for the gear position indicator switches. The instrument panel features an ICOM A200 transceiver, Garmin GT 327 transponder, and Garmin GPSMAP 296. The artificial horizon, engine monitor, fuel level indicator and VSI are Aveo digital instruments. The airspeed indicator, altimeter and tachometer are analog. Thanks to Jim Ratte of Recreation Mobility and Bob Boswell of Aero Adventure for their help in making my dream of building and flying my own airplane become a reality. And, of course, my wife, Ellen, gets a big hug and kiss for putting up with my obsession. Water flying is challenging and great fun. If you’ve never tried it, go expand your flying horizon.
321/452-7665
Submissions to “Completions” should include a typed, double-spaced description (a few paragraphs only-250 words maximum) of the project and the finished aircraft. Also include a good color photograph (prints or 35mm slides are acceptable) of the aircraft that we may keep. Please include a daytime phone number where we can contact you if necessary. Also indicate whether we may publish your address in case other builders would like to contact you. Send submissions to: Completions, c/o KITPLANES Magazine, 203 Argonne Ave., Suite B105, Long Beach, CA 90803. Digital submissions are also acceptable. Send text and photos to editorial@kitplanes.com with a subject line of “Completions.” Photos must be high-resolution-300 dpi at a 3 x 5 print size is the minimum requirement.