July 18, 2008

AEROLAB FORCED TO PASS ON AIRVENTURE 2008

        Lone Rock, WI – Aerolab Srl, of Gallarate, Italy, announced this week that it will not have an exhibit at Airventure 2008 as originally planned due to continuing flooding in Southwest Wisconsin, which has temporarily suspended Golden Age Aeroworks, LLC, its North Central US dealership. Golden Age Aeroworks, based at Tri-County Regional Airport at Lone Rock (LNR), is home of the I-CAMB, the LoCamp prototype, and is also the site of the assembly of one of the first production LoCamp Experimental Amateur-built kit aircraft.  The company hoped to have a completed but uncovered example of the quick-build kit aircraft on display at the Oshkosh air show.  Delays in deliveries of the newly-designed all aluminum structure wings also contributed to the decision to pass on Airventure this year.

        "After discussion with our dealers, we reluctantly made the decision to cancel our exhibit at Airventure," said Francesco Rizzi, president of Aerolab and designer of the Sport Camp series of aircraft.  "We felt it was better to wait for the 2009 show season, when we will be 100% ready to go, than to come to Airventure without our new production aircraft to show to prospective customers."

        The Aerolab LoCamp, a low-wing, open-cockpit monoplane, sporting a Rotec radial engine and dubbed “only for lovers of old-fashioned airplanes,” will initially be available as an Experimental Amateur-built kit. The company anticipates Special Light Sport Aircraft (S-LSA) certification in the future.  Other models in its Sport Camp series, including the BiCamp, a bi-plane, and the HiCamp, with a parasol wing, will be rolled out shortly thereafter.  The company is completing the prototype of the BiCamp, and hopes to have it ready for the 2009 air shows.

        Rizzi says the company has been very busy developing its production facilities and finalizing the construction manual.  “We have developed a first-rate production facility capable of manufacturing a high-quality production airplane that will please all those who enthusiastically responded to the introduction of the prototype,” he said.

        Rizzi reports that the most significant improvement to be made in the production aircraft is the incorporation of a completely aluminum wing structure.  Many smaller improvements have been made as well which enhance the value delivered to the customer and ease the assembly process.   The quick-build kit can be completed in approximately 500 hours and be in compliance with the 51% rule.

        The LoCamp is now in production and the company is taking orders through its dealer network.  The basic kit is priced at $22,250 while the complete kit, including the Rotec R2800 110 hp engine, instruments and other options, is priced at about $50,000.