Howard Hughes Engineering
 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace, automotive manufacturing, boat building and general engineering |
| Founded | mid-1970s |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Kit aircraft |
| Website | lightwing |
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Howard Hughes Engineering Pty Ltd is an Australian aircraft manufacturer, boat and automobile builder and general engineering company based in Ballina, New South Wales.[1]
The company specializes in the design and manufacture of light aircraft in the form of kits for amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft for the European Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight and the American light-sport aircraft categories.[1]
Australian Lightwing is an aircraft brand of Howard Hughes Engineering.[1]
History
[edit]The company was formed in the mid-1970s as a boat building and general engineering concern, based in West Ballina. In 1985 the company expanded into aircraft design, as a result of the new ultralight aircraft rules enacted in Australia. The first aircraft design, the Australian LightWing GR532, was first accepted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority on 29 September 1986. Working in welded 4130 steel tubing, the company offered an alternative to the aluminium and Dacron sailcloth ultralights then being produced.[2]
In 1995 the company relocated to the Ballina Byron Gateway Airport industrial park.[2]
Products
[edit]The company has produced a wide range of aircraft, including the high-wing GR 532 GR 582, GR912, Pocket Rocket, ALW Sport and Tapis, the low-wing two-seat SP-2000 Speed, four seat SP-4000 Speed and the low or high-wing SP-6000. There is also a biplane design the PR BiPe and the PR Breeze parasol wing.[1][3][4]
The SP-2000 has been accepted by the US Federal Aviation Administration as a light-sport aircraft.[1][5] The company has also entered electric car design with the three-seat Hughes Engineering Road-e.[3]
Other products include a flight simulator, the Hughes Engineering Cunning Cat 30 ft (9 m) sailboat and a CAD/CAM Cutting Table. The company has also developed computer software, including a telephone messaging system and a business costing and payroll program.[6]
Aircraft
[edit]| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Lightwing GR 532 | Two-seat high-wing ultralight aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing GR 582 | Two-seat high-wing light-sport aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing GR 912 | Two-seat high-wing light-sport aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing SP-2000 Speed | Two-seat low-wing, light-sport aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing SP-4000 Speed | Four-seat low-wing kit aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing SP-6000 | Six-seat high or low-wing kit aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing Pocket Rocket | enclosed cabin single-seat high-wing aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing PR BiPe | open cockpit biplane | ||
| Australian Lightwing PR Breeze | single-seat parasol-wing kit aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing Tapis | Two-seat high-wing kit aircraft | ||
| Australian Lightwing ALW Sport | Two-seat high-wing kit aircraft |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, pages 29-30. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
- ^ a b Howard Hughes Engineering (n.d.). "About Us". Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ a b Howard Hughes Engineering (n.d.). "Australian LightWing Gallery". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ Howard Hughes Engineering (n.d.). "Pocket Roket (PR)". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (10 September 2014). "SLSA Make/Model Directory". Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ Howard Hughes Engineering (n.d.). "Our Inventions and the ALW Range of Products". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
External links
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