| Phantom Aircraft - manufacturer of the venerable single-seat Phantoms
(the enclosed-cockpit Phantom X-1e model is pictured here) - has now
made it easier on their customers by building seven subassemblies at the
factory (at no additional charge), reducing kit build time by an
estimated 25%, according to Phantom Aircraft. After completing a labor cost study on building and assembling certain
components of their Phantom ultralight kits, Phantom Aircraft -
manufacturer of the venerable Phantom line of single-seat ultralights -
"was surprised to find it only cost us $37 more to assemble the components
for our customers [compared to bagging,
|
Empty Weight: |
250 lbs. |
| Gross Weight: |
510 lbs. |
| Wing Span: |
28.6" ft. |
| Wing Area: |
142 sq. ft. |
| Engine: |
447 Rotax |
| Cruise Speed: |
55 m.p.h. |
| Stall Speed: |
27 m.p.h. |
| VNE: |
100 m.p.h. |
| Construction: |
aluminum
tube/Dacron fabric |
| Building time: |
150 Hrs. |
marking and grouping the same components]," reports Phantom president
Pat Schultheis. "All Phantom kits now have seven different assemblies done
for the customer at the factory at no extra charge." Phantom expects the
net result of these kit changes to be some very happy customers.
"We now give the customer the lower cage all framed, the tail
assemblies built (the customer still covers them with fabric), the control
stick assembled, the ailerons framed and covered, the fiberglass pod body
has the mounting holes cut out, the keel tube comes with all the brackets
mounted, and the motor mount has the main brackets installed," Schultheis
elaborates. "This should save the customer about 25% of the assembly
time." The open-air Phantom X-1 has an assembly time listed as 125 to 150
hours, and the enclosed-cockpit Phantom X-1e is listed as 90 to 180 hours.
Those assembly times should be reduced 25% due to the extra assembly now
done at the factory.
"By adding his wheels to the landing gear," Phantom Aircraft says, the
new Phantom owner "can sit in his rolling cage in his living room that
first night, making vroom vroom sounds." That is, "if he or she has
an understanding spouse," Schultheis quips. "We found that customers
needed an incentive to get started on their building project, so we made
it very easy for them."
- Buzz Chalmers
For more information contact:
Phantom Aeronautics
6154 West G Ave.
Kalamazoo MI 49009
Story courtesy of
http://www.ulflyingmag.com/archives/phantom.html
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