Airsport Aviation has already experienced a resurgence of interest in the Quicksilver since displaying one on amphibious floats at the Canadian Aviation Expo this past June in Oshawa, Ontario. Michel Hell photo.
COPA Magazine
Quicksilver is back in Canada.
Airsport Aviation Inc. are now the
exclusive authorized distributor for Quicksilver Aircraft in Canada.
Peter Glaw has been in the ultralight aircraft business for more than 28 years,
and in fact began his ultralight aviation career with Quicksilvers.
Airsport Aviation has quickly become
the leading distributor for Ultralight aircraft in Canada. Glaw felt that some
customer's needs were not being met with current offerings. These people wanted
simple reasonably priced aircraft for weekend and cottage type open air flying,
rather than the more conventional aircraft.
Since Glaw already had a lot of experience with the Quicksilver, it was a logical
addition for Airsport to add to its line-up.
Founded by Dick Eipper in the 1970s, the company manufactured and sold thousands of hang gliders. Towards the end of the decade they began to add power to one of the designs which eventually evolved into the Quicksilver as we know it today.
Early Quicksilvers were powered by small Yamaha engines and were controlled
with weight shift. Today they employ a more reliable and well known Rotax, and
have evolved to include conventional controls.
The company is now called Quicksilver
Manufacturing, which identifies its line-up more effectively. The new owner,
Carl Von Hirsch, bought the company in 1999 and has maintained the seven models.
Included are the single-place Sprint and Sport, the Sprint II and Sport II two-seaters,
and the latest model in the series; the Sport 2S. It has the wires replaced
by struts, which some feel is more attractive.
All models use the identifier "MX" as part of their official model
names. The single-place GT-400 and the two-place, GT-500 complete the line.
Aviation writers have referred to the aircraft as the "Piper Cub"
of ultralights, while generously referring to the company as the "Cessna"
of ultralights, who they surpassed in sales on more than one occasion.
With a reputation and history as good as this, it makes the Quicksilver line-up
a no brainer for many would be owners, and Ultralight instructors. With such
a low acquisition and operating cost, it becomes easy to own several for the
price of the competition.
Glaw has already experienced a resurgence of interest in the Quicksilver since
displaying one on amphibious floats at the Canadian Aviation Expo this past
June in Oshawa, Ontario.
The Canadian market has gone largely untouched for a long time and a large group of potential owners has accumulated. With expectations high, Peter is offering sales representative positions and dealerships with territories across Canada. With such an attractive price, and a remarkably simple assembly, Quicksilvers should literally fly out the door.
Potential customers can use the sales opportunity to subsidize or even completely
cover the costs of their personal ownership.
The recent improvement in the Canadian Looney versus the US Greenback has resulted
in the prices being more affordable than ever. The two seat Sport 2S includes
the strutted wing instead of the wire brace, a 582 liquid cooled Rotax, brakes,
larger diameter prop, double surface wings, and more. At the current conversion
rate, this aircraft comes in under $23,000 Canadian. Simpler models can be had
for as little as $12,000 Canadian dollars!
My favorites are the MX Sport 2s because of the struts and the GT-500 which
fits nicely into the AULA category. The Quicksilvers make excellent recreational
float and ski platforms for all season flying and many are kept at the cottage
for weekend fun.
A set of straight floats adds about $3,000 to the price, but also a whole lot
of new opportunity if you are keeping it at the cottage.
Ultralight permits are the least expensive to obtain, so if you're just considering
getting into flying and don't want to shell out a ton of money, this could be
the ideal entry. Consider that the average permit can be had for less than $2000,
and a Quicksilver MX Sprint now runs about $12,000 Canadian, you can be in the
air with absolutely no prior experience for well under $15,000, in a brand new
aircraft. Unheard of!
Kit assembly is no more complicated than putting together a Barbeque, there's
just more of it. All parts come shrink-wrapped to a white cardboard sheet and
are clearly labeled. This not only makes assembly quick and easy, but also that
all-important inventory of parts. A quicksilver can be completely assembled
in as little as a week, but for those people who can't even program the VCR,
assembly is available by qualified Airsport Aviation staff.
Customers are invited to participate in the process, which helps them become
familiar with all the parts and their function. When it comes time for maintenance
or repair, the knowledge and experience gained during assembly will boost confidence
and safety.
And speaking of safety; the Quicksilver line-up has been well engineered and
tested by the manufacturer. The aircraft are stressed for loads greater than
some factory produced aircraft.
But for that extra margin a customer can opt for a Ballistic Parachute Recovery
system (BRS). With the BRS deployed, the entire aircraft and its occupants are
lowered to the ground at parachute speed.
Quicksilver kits can be delivered in about a week, and with summer in full swing,
there is no time like the present to take up ultralight flying in your very
own brand new aircraft.
For more information regarding Quicksilver Aircraft and dealership opportunities
please contact:
Airsport Aviation Inc.
1750 The Queensway, Suite 301
Toronto, ON M9C 5H5
Tel.: 905-286-0303
E-mail: info@airsportaviation.com
Website: www.airsportaviation.com