Ripley Air

Completions

Turbine Loadmaster

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The Turbo Moose was great, but this one is better! Although it does not have the 3400 fpm climb rate of the Moose, the 1500 fpm climb at 6000 # gross weight makes up for it!

Ernie Merkilus’ Great Lakes Restoration

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Ernie purchased his Great Lakes in January of 2006 with the original cotton fabric. After more than 30 years of service, it was time to replace it and make some upgrades. The airplane was re-covered using the Poly Fiber process and re-painted to the original 1974 scheme.

Marc Jones’ RV-6 Paint Job

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Marc finished the airplane and started flying it in 2006. After completing phase I flight testing, she came apart for paint. Colors are Acry Glo “Snow White” and “Nocturnal Blue”.

Rick Orchard's Tubro Moose

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Rick Orchard of Duluth, GA is a die-hard float plane fanatic. He has made many trips to the northwest with friends to fish. Rick carried the gear in his Bush Hawk, but couldn’t get in-and-out of the smaller lakes that his SuperCub friends were landing in. The answer……

Ultimate 10-200 Rebuild

This aircraft was purchased disassembled and without firewall forward. Initial rigging revealed a serious problem. The wings were built with substantial twist in them. The solution was to remove the fabric and aluminum leading edge skins, jig the wings straight, and install plywood leading edge skins. This resulted in perfectly straight wings, and increased strength of the plywood leading edge.

Tim Crowell and Rick Boone's RV-4 Paint Job

Rans S-6 ES Rebuild

Rans S-6 ES Rebuild

This aircraft arrived at the shop as a pile of parts, many of which were bent. All damaged parts, including two wing spars and the steel fuselage cage were replaced, and a Rotax 912 80 hp was installed.