With 200-foot-tall trees and mountain peaks topped with snow throughout the year, Washington is a scenic place for an airshow. Despite a drought that caused the grass to crunch underfoot, light aviation looked alive and well at the EAA’s Arlington gathering for 2003. Local Boys Make Good One main attraction was the much-anticipated RV-10 four-place aircraft that drew big crowds. But a Washington-area group also revealed their efforts of past months. Sport Flight Aviation displayed in the ultralight area with the first of 50 kits in progress. Two completed Talons—the last of the old design—stood alongside a new Typhoon. The new closely resembles the old. Company owners Todd Thompson and Ron Osborne took pride in showing me extensive CAD-generated drawings printed after a lengthy effort to document the popular northwest design. Each of the men operates a non-aviation business. They teamed up to resuscitate a company left leaderless after the death of its founder, Roger Bitton.
New Aircraft Arrive at Arlington
Washington-based North Wing Design released its Apache Sport this spring at Sun 'n Fun but subsequently improved its looks with this new pod fairing.
Mark Beierle has developed this tiny radial engine using eight cylinders, though he says it's still a work in process.
Designer Darryl Murphy followed a familiar pattern by fitting a larger engine to his JDM-8 that flew well with the Rotax 277.
Sport Flight Aviation is back and has reviewed its designs with CAD software. The company is now ready to start production.