Despite showing July 2018 dates about prices on the CGS Hawk website, those numbers remain current! Let me restate. The price of a Hawk Ultra — now the Ultra Air version — has not gone up in price over the last five years! Tell me anything in your life that compares. Nearly everything you buy has gone up 50-100% or more in the last three years alone.
So, I can say with confidence that you can likely still buy a Hawk Ultra airframe kit for $12,500 (no increase since 2018) and you can assemble it in 250 hours. Add a Polini 303 engine for $6,000 plus basic instrumentation or other minor accessories and you'll invest about $22-23,000 to get airborne in a brand-new CGS Hawk. Mount a used engine and you could airborne for less than $20,000. In 2023 America, that is an excellent price.
We didn't see the two-place Hawk organization at airshows this year, but I did run into a young engineer who is working with Joseph. Our paths crossed while attending AirVenture 2023. He was excited to tell me how their team is going deeply into a full CAD rework of the Hawk SLSA and other two-place models.
I know from personal experience at following the Hawk for many years that engineering documentation was not developer Chuck Slusarczyk's strong suit. His design has clearly proven itself through decades, but the original engineering work was closer to back-of-the-envelope sketches. Like other gifted designers, Chuck simply knew it all in his head.
At it for seven years now, building single place Hawks, Bob emphasized, "I wouldn't trade those seven years for anything. It has been a learning experience but we have met so many great people, pilots who love their Hawk." Now with Hawk Ultra Air capturing attention and given its modest cost, I feel sure CGS has a bright future.
Hear about 
Named “Ultra Air,” the newest Hawk Single sounds like it might be Apple’s new laptop computer. In our analog world, Hawk Ultra Air is nearly the exact opposite… except it is a light aircraft. Many might say it’s “ultra” fun so, hey!, the model name works. “Less is more” is also a phrase that might apply to both Hawk and Apple. Hawk Ultra Air looks lighter and slimmer by removing the fabric enclosure. Appearing lean and minimal has appeal to many consumers. Forty one years after its splashy introduction, Hawks now number more than 2,500 aircraft, a fine accomplishment for any manufacturer but especially for one so modestly priced and significantly hand built. Saying Hawk is “hand built” speaks to some of the work Bob Santom, and his son LB have done as they took over one segment of the Hawk lineage. They have laboriously reassembled some earlier aircraft making extensive notes and preparing for continued manufacture, but became better informed than when they started.
In the beginning ... the light aviation world was void and without form. Those were the earliest days of light powered aircraft that people could truly afford. I refer way back to the late 1970s following a period when hang gliders were the darlings of the affordable aviation world. Hang gliders evolved in various dimensions, among which was the addition of an engine to a previously unpowered type of flying machine.
In those formative years one man stood large. Not only a big man in physical form, he was big in stature and bold in his goals. Some readers already know to whom I refer — the always impressive and irrepressible Chuck Slusarczyk. History about him goes back far enough that much of it precedes the World Wide Web. The earliest articles about Chuck and his enterprise never made it into the digital universe but see 
Chuck is now enjoying his retirement, having sold off his company after producing around 2,000 Hawks in various forms: Part 103 ultralights, experimental single seaters, two seater tandems, Hawks on floats, and a Light-Sport version. The history of the Hawk is so rich and varied that it would take a full article to describe it all. Fortunately, website members can read much of the history 
Terry got his start in aviation like many youngsters, building radio-controlled airplanes back in the 1970s. After spending eight years in the U.S. Navy, Terry obtained his Private Pilot certificate in 1994. However, he said, "I preferred to fly ultralights and Light-Sport Aircraft."
"I started building scale model aircraft and competing in realistic flight and realistic scale competition in 1980s," Terry explained. His RC building efforts including a half-scale J3 Piper Cub and he reported that he won first place awards "due to detail and quality of realism" in his assemblies.
"I purchased my first full-scale ultralight in 1995 at Sun 'n Fun, an Airbike from Team Aircraft," Terry recalled. "This was the start of building a variety of light planes: an Aerosport II, a Capella, a Rans, and a Kolb." He said he enjoys restoration projects, a favorite of which "has always been Piper J3 Cub." Terry reports restoring six Cubs in the past 15 years. "I like to fly them, but I really enjoy the project part of it the most."
"My love for the projects led me to establish my own restoration and services business this year," Terry said, "and I will be retiring from Polk County School Board soon to focus on new business with my son, Chris."
"We will be offering support on all Hawk aircraft and will build and sell Hawk Ultra and two-place Hawk Arrow kits, as well as the two-seat Special LSA Hawk II." Given the population of hundreds of Hawks in the light aircraft fleet this is bound to be welcome news to those needing parts and service.
Over the years Chuck Slusarczyk operated the business, I believe I flew every model the pioneer created. Chuck and I were contemporaries in the early days of hang gliding and I came to know the man very well. Along with many other light aviation enthusiasts, I always looked forward to more of Chuck's highly entertaining sense of humor.
I cannot imagine Terry Short or son Chris can continue that particular part of the Hawk tradition but in a period when plenty of pilots lament the high cost of very sophisticated Light-Sport Aircraft, the CGS Hawks offer a more modest expense. These are simple airplanes but they've proven themselves over many years.
I also know several builders of kit Hawks and the project demands a lower number of hours. Flying any of the Hawk models is quite straightforward. The handling is docile and flight characteristics are predictable.
If you are headed to Sun 'n Fun in a couple weeks, you can find out more about CGS Hawk aircraft at the booth of Terry Short Aviation Services, space LP-007A in Paradise City. He reported he will not have an aircraft — "We've just received all the components and tooling and didn't want to just throw something together to show" — but he will be available to answer questions.
