Our newest dealer

[Mayfield]

It is with great pleasure that I announce the newest AAI Full service dealership.

Mr. Ron Menzie of Searcy Arkansas has been appointed as an American Autogyro Dealer.

Mr. Menzie will offer flight instruction and FAA practical tests in a Stability Augmented RAF 2000; and ultimately in a SparrowHawk.

AAI can now offer FAA practical tests in the Eastern and Western portions of the country.

Ron will also provide builder assist services for the SparrowHawk, and installation services for the AAI stability augmentation Kit.

GBA and AAI have long recognized that a successful business model requires:

1. A strong, professional instructor base.

2. FAA designated examiners.

3. A commitment to “doing the right thing” for our customers.

4. A safe reliable aircraft.

5. Continuous product improvement.

Mr. Menzie is an important addition to the GBA/AAI family. He will be of great service to the gyroplane community.

Regards,

Jim Mayfield

[CLS447]

That's great! Ron is a great guy & instructor. Has he upgraded his machine?

[Mayfield]

He receives his stability augmentation kit next week. I suspect it will take him a couple of weeks to make the changes.

Jim

[PW_Plack]

Golly, Jim...

You're foiling my secret business plan to exhume the old non-CLT Parsons Trainer...Ron and Steve were some of the last guys using them! Guess I'll have to call Florida...

On a more serious note, congrats. You're building one heck of a stable of instructors. They don't come any more highly-recommended than Ron and Steve.

I got to sit in a SparrowHawk cabin up at Randy's place a couple of weeks ago. I didn't really want to train in an RAF, but the SparrowHawk is SO much less cramped that I'd have no problem. Given the looks of your roster, I'll be training with one of your guys later this year.

[GyroRon]

Next thing you know we will see another post like this telling us we can't find instruction in anything BUT a Sparrowhawk! I hope since you guys are taking all the good instructors away, you will design and build a open tandem machine for the guys who don't want to ride in a bubble! I know If I were planning to fly a typical single place open gyro I would feel far better about training in the front of Steves Parsons than in a Sparrow Hawk.

Also I will not be surprised to see another post like this naming Jim Logan or Duanne as the next two instructors, They might as well join up right??? Or be left in the dust ;D ;D

[ToddP]

That will be the day.

AAI seems to be doing everything right. Anytime people talk gyro instruction, Steve and Ron are mentioned as some of the best instructors out there. Great News for AAI

[Mayfield]

Ron,

The open frame tandem and single seat will have to wait for a few months.

I expect it will be late summer before I can produce the open frame side by side variant of the SparrowHawk.

The side by side is a relatively easy engineering job due to the high commonality between the cabin aircraft and the open frame.

A single seat open frame variant will also be easy and an absolute "pocket rocket" as far as rate of climb. I need to study the market before I produce a single seat. I am sure however that an open frame, two seat, side by side aircraft will sell well enough to justify development cost.

The tandem enclosed and tandem open frame pose a few more engineering challenges. I believe we will pursue those variants, but we still have a lot to learn beforehand.

I also want to develop a lightweight, CLT, single seat for the ultralight market. The engineering will not be difficult, but it will be time consuming. We'll have to wait until we have some time available.

Although we are continuing to recruit dealers and instructors, I suspect that Jimmy and Duane (both of whom I like a lot) will not be part of the AAI team.

Notwithstanding the above; the future is always seen through a cloudy glass. I can not predict with great certainy what it holds.

Jim