# Who's still making 'little airplanes'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824 "2011-10-16T16:27:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/1 "2011-10-16T16:27:40Z")
I came across a Bellanca Super Viking, and it struck me: Whatever happened to Bellanca? It seems their assets were sold in 1982, and again in 2002. AviaBellanca has a website that’s been ‘under construction’ since 2004. I guess they’re out of the game. Cessna quit for eleven years, but they’re making piston-engine singles again. Piper is still hanging in there. Beechcraft still makes the Bonanza. Maule are building. Mooney have quit making airplanes, but are hopeful they can re-start. I think SOCATA stopped making piston-engine singles. Newcomer Cirrus is giving competition to Cessna and Piper. There are others still making FAA-certified piston-engine singles. Anyone have a list? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/2 "2011-10-16T16:46:08Z")
Pilatus makes the [PC-12](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-12), which is a really cool airplane. Is de Havilland still making Beavers and Otters? How about Grumman? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/3 "2011-10-16T17:03:34Z")
[“Buyer’s Mini-Guide To Four-Seat Singles”](http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/best-buys/buyers-mini-guide-to-four-seat-singles.html) in _Plane & Pilot Magazine_ (April 2010) lists the Diamond Star DA40 XLS from [USAero](http://www.usaero.aero/diamond/da40_xls.php), as well as several models from [Cirrus Aircraft.](http://cirrusaircraft.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/4 "2011-10-16T17:06:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Pilatus makes the [PC-12](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-12), which is a really cool airplane. Is de Havilland still making Beavers and Otters? How about Grumman? The Pilatus is nice, and is a General Aviation aircraft; but as a turboprop it’s beyond the scope of this thread. Beavers and Otters are out of production, but the rights were sold to a new company in 2006. I think they’re making a turboprop version of the Beaver, and the ‘Twotter’, but no piston-engine singles. Tiger Aircraft produced the (American Aviation/Grumman American/American General) AA-5B Tiger between 2001 and 2006, but declared bankruptcy in 2007. Their assets were sold to another company, which has not built any aircraft as yet. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/5 "2011-10-16T17:13:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [“Buyer’s Mini-Guide To Four-Seat Singles”](http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/best-buys/buyers-mini-guide-to-four-seat-singles.html) in _Plane & Pilot Magazine_ (April 2010) Nice link! ISTR Mooney had some layoffs last year and stopped building. I wonder what their status is? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/6 "2011-10-16T19:56:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The Pilatus is nice, and is a General Aviation aircraft; but as a turboprop it’s beyond the scope of this thread. > > Beavers and Otters are out of production, but the rights were sold to a new company in 2006. I think they’re making a turboprop version of the Beaver, and the ‘Twotter’, but no piston-engine singles. > > Tiger Aircraft produced the (American Aviation/Grumman American/American General) AA-5B Tiger between 2001 and 2006, but declared bankruptcy in 2007. Their assets were sold to another company, which has not built any aircraft as yet. It would probably help if I understood aircraft engines in the first place, I guess. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/7 "2011-10-16T20:05:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Beavers and Otters are out of production, but the rights were sold to a new company in 2006. I think they’re making a turboprop version of the Beaver, and the ' **Twotter’** , but no piston-engine singles. > > . For a moment I thought that was pronounced twatter 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/8 "2011-10-16T20:40:00Z")
It \*is \*pronounced twatter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/9 "2011-10-16T22:09:45Z")
NB: ‘Twotter’ = ‘Twin Otter’. ---
**Author:** ![fholbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/898d66/32.png) [@fholbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fholbert)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/10 "2011-10-17T01:35:20Z")
The last Bellanca Super Viking was made in 2005 but the factory is still open selling parts and services. In 2012 Bellanca will be the first aircraft manufacture to celebrate 100 years! My Super Viking is pictured here. [http://160knots.com/images/Havasu/N4201B%20006.bmp](http://160knots.com/images/Havasu/N4201B%20006.bmp) ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/11 "2011-10-17T16:56:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Is de Havilland still making Beavers and Otters? Nitpick; The Beavers and Otters were designed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada, not de Havilland (hence the DHC designation rather than DH). Though of course one was the subsidiary of the other, I just think that it’s worth noting that they designed and manufactured aircraft in their own right as well 🙂 > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Beavers and Otters are out of production, but the rights were sold to a new company in 2006. I think they’re making a turboprop version of the Beaver, and the ‘Twotter’, but no piston-engine singles. Correct. Viking Air, out of Victoria BC has the Type Certificates for the DHC-1-through-7 and are manufacturing all new Twin Otters. They are also producing DHC-2 upgrades. Bombardier, obviously, still owns the Type Certificates for the DHC-8 family of aircraft and de Havilland Canada as a company is nothing more than leftover logos on a ton of paperwork at Bombardier! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/12 "2011-10-17T18:25:23Z")
There are actually a bunch of them if you count the light-sport manufacturers (2 seaters and very small). I will see if I can find a list of those. Aviat makes the all-terrain Husky bush plane. [http://www.aviataircraft.com/husky.html](http://www.aviataircraft.com/husky.html) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/13 "2011-10-17T22:54:49Z")
As long as the type certificate exists, an aircraft design is never irrevocably out of production. Univair could start making complete Ercoupes today if they wanted, for example. There’s even a shop in Michigan (?) making new Waco biplanes, complete with new Jacobs 250HP radials that have been in storage since they were manufactured in WW2. Mooney, already mentioned, has come and gone a number of times over the decades, another example. The industry has always been full enough of dreamers to make those things happen, even if they almost always go broke doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/14 "2011-10-17T23:58:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [“Buyer’s Mini-Guide To Four-Seat Singles”](http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/aircraft/best-buys/buyers-mini-guide-to-four-seat-singles.html) in _Plane & Pilot Magazine_ (April 2010) lists the Diamond Star DA40 XLS from [USAero](http://www.usaero.aero/diamond/da40_xls.php), as well as several models from [Cirrus Aircraft.](http://cirrusaircraft.com/) Diamond makes a number of models and are fairly mainstream. They are the planes that I take lessons in one like [these Diamond DA20’s.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_DA20) They are a pretty established “newcomber” at that point like Cirrus and have over 15 years of high production (for small planes) under their belt. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/15 "2011-10-18T01:43:36Z")
I’d forgotten about Aviat. I think AOPA is giving one away next year. And Diamond. Forgot about them, too. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-still-making-little-airplanes/599824/16 "2011-10-18T02:01:02Z")
[American Champion](http://www.amerchampionaircraft.com/NewAircraft/NewAircraft.html) makes a line of several roughly similar aircraft. The Champ and the Super Decathlon are probably the best known.