Smaller, Lighter Cessna 327 'Mini Skymaster'
Once upon a time, general aviation aircraft manufacturers pursued market niches with the ferocity of wild dingoes.
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Once upon a time, general aviation aircraft manufacturers pursued market niches with the ferocity of wild dingoes.
AVweb Les Krumel invested 22 years building his award-winning Thorp T-18. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always liked to make things, and I thought an airplane would be the ultimate project,” said Les Krumel of Moriarty, New Mexico, a mechanical engineer who recently retired as a civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force who worked on aerospace projects. That understatement defines his humble personality. Making almost every part, Krumel invested 22 years in his project, and he was not yet a pilot when he started in 1993. Born and raised in Nebraska, Krumel’s father, Ermi...