Guest ozzie Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 That's a real shame. Why? Another great Aussie product down the drain.
dazza 38 Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 It looks - sadly - as if the Ultrabat may not be in existence for much longer to terrorise the flying public; while the 'Bat itself remains intact at the moment, the moulds (magnificent pieces of work) look like, from last reports I had (two or so weeks ago) will have a chainsaw put through them and be dumped. George Markey put probably more than $500k into those moulds (with all the engineering costs for developing the 'Bat Mk II). I worked on the 'Bat II with George a few years ago, and it was/is a tiny jewel of an aircraft, almost the ultimate bling for those who would fly unlimited aerobatics but can't afford a Pitts or an Extra. Badly let down by the unreliability of the Rotax 2-stroke engine; George ended up landing deadstick on roads etc. in the USA too many times for even his comfort - and George was not a man to put much value on comfort... Dam shame. I thought the productions rights ect were for sale a while back ? I could be thinking of the Sapphire though.
Oscar Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 The moulds were packed and ready to go to Florida for development of a production exercise, that has fallen through and the owner has pretty much run out of options. The only 'Bat Mk II still exists; I delivered the fuselage nearly two years ago to have a specially-developed aerobatic engine fitted, and the wing followed a week later, but the Jabiru debacle has put that on hold for the indefinite future.
Guest ozzie Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 No need to destroy them is it? surely put them in storage.
Oscar Posted May 13, 2015 Posted May 13, 2015 I think (but don't know, I'm not in contact with the new owner of the 'Bat and moulds) that he's found the same effect that George did: everybody loves looking at the wee thing but when it comes to reaching for their wallet, the allure recedes. It's a high-tech structure, not a back-yard lay-up job, involving a lot of c/f requiring autoclaving etc. - it only looks a bit 'Sapphire'-ish. And it only does one thing well: aerobatics; it's not a thing you can use for anything else, really.
Guest ozzie Posted May 14, 2015 Posted May 14, 2015 Oh well maybe if they do what everyone else does they may have a chance . India or China.
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