15 July 2015
All-composite aircraft are often thought to be a modern invention but one, the Windecker Eagle, goes back to 1962 when it was type certified by the US authority, the FAA. Now a Chinese business man, Mr Wei Hang, is not only restoring one of the few surviving Windecker Eagles but is planning to put the aircraft into production.
Windecker Aircraft Inc has confirmed that it will invest $6 million and create 58 jobs at its facility in Mooresville, North Carolina. The Mooresville-South Iredell Economic Development Corporation (MSIEDC) has also announced an incentive grant, amount undisclosed, to assist the development. Windecker currently employs 14 people on the restoration and in R&D for the project.
The Windecker Eagle was originally designed by Leo Windecker in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1962. Windecker Aircraft, Inc. is carrying on from where Windecker Industries left off.
Don Atchison, CEO of Windecker Aircraft, Inc. said, “We are approaching one year of operations in Mooresville and continue to be impressed with the community, the high quality work force and the intangibles that Race City, USA is bringing to our effort.” [‘Race City’ is the nickname given to Mooresville for its Nascar connections].
The restoration of the surviving Windecker Eagle is nearing completion and airworthy status, with a new engine new cowling, new gear, fuel tanks, avionics, and is awaiting a new interior and fresh paint. The rebuild has taken longer than anticipated with little more than the original fibreglass airframe remaining.
“We found that virtually every piece of metal in the airframe had to be replaced,” said Atchison. “Remarkably, the fibreglass held up due to a UV protective coating that was applied at the time of manufacture.
“What’s fascinating is the list of new equipment that’s going into it. When it takes the active runway again, perhaps in the later summer, early fall, it will be fascinating blend of the oldest composite airframe in the world enhanced by the most modern technologies in avionics and subsystems.”
The Windecker Eagle has four seats, a 1,400 pound useful load, an 84 gallon fuel capacity and it will cruise at 170+ KTAS. New equipment includes:
