Build log · May 2026 · From the workshop in Ballószög and the desk in Addison.
May was the month the airplane stopped being a collection of individual parts and started becoming an integrated machine. Landing gear went into the wing. Doors got their final kinematic solution. The fuel system grew a brain. And the fuselage started its journey from two empty shells to a single, bonded airframe.
Main landing gear — installed and perfect
The main gear legs went into the wing for the first time this month. Every pin aligned, every axis within a tenth of a millimeter, no trimming needed. The fit was so clean that Andre called it the best day of the build so far. The anodized 7075-T6 aluminum scissor hardware, hinge brackets, and bellcranks all bolted in without shimming — a direct result of the CNC-drilled jigs we spent weeks building in April.
We’re testing the gear at 1.875 times the calculated limit load, which itself is based on a 3.8 g vertical impact — a number that’s realistically impossible to hit in normal flying but not at all impossible in a flight school. Total gear deflection is close to ten inches, so even a hard landing barely transfers energy into the airframe. The gas strut dampening is adjustable in both directions, which means we can tune the ride feel differently for the trainer variant versus the touring configuration.
Gull-wing doors — solved
After three months of losing sleep over the door geometry, Andre cracked it. The solution: move the hinge to the top of the cabin frame and use two gas-hydraulic cylinders per side. The gas springs help with manual opening; compact hydraulic cylinders handle powered open, close, and lock — all driven by a single servo actuator per door.
Each door panel weighs 2 kg. Seven locking points per door. When the door swings open, the lock mechanisms retract into the frame automatically — nobody catches a hand on exposed hardware. The top of the door clears 2.05 meters, so you step in without ducking. And the whole system uses 800-gram brushless hydraulic pumps borrowed from VW automatic transmission technology. They run forever.
Electric retractable steps
The steps deploy automatically when you open the door and retract when you close it. Six seconds per side, independent left and right. The whole entry sequence works off a phone or key fob — press the button, the steps come out, the doors unlock and swing open, the cabin lights come on. It feels more like a Tesla Model X than a Cessna.
Automatic fuel management
The fuel selector panel is now a fully integrated module — mechanical valves, contactless hall-sensor position detection, background LEDs, status indicators, and communication electronics, all behind a single connector. In manual mode, the selectors work purely mechanically — flip the switch, the valve opens. No electricity required. In auto mode, the system switches tanks on a timed interval and shows you which tank is active on the Garmin display. You physically cannot start the engine with the fuel valves closed.
Next step: auto-balance mode, where the system keeps both tanks at the same level within a few liters. The hardware is already capable — it’s just software now.
Starlink integrated
The Starlink antenna fits under the windshield behind dark plexiglass panels. Completely invisible from the cockpit. Plenty of room — there’s more space under the dash than we expected. Available across the lineup.
BRS Kevlar belt channel — tested and working
The custom channel that routes the BRS parachute’s Kevlar bridle through the fuselage is done and tested. You pull a rubber seal, slide the belt out, and slide a new one in. Two to three kilograms of pull force. Five to ten minutes of labor for what is, on a Cirrus, a $30,000 job that involves cutting the fuselage open. We designed the airframe around easy BRS replacement from the very first sketch.
Fuselage — resin infusion underway
The fuselage shells are going through resin infusion instead of traditional prepreg layup. One hour of injection time. The adhesive bed tools for joining the upper and lower shells are complete — these aren’t strictly needed for the prototype, but they’re mandatory for repeatable production quality, so we built them now. The structural adhesive bonding technique for the two fuselage halves is proven and ready.
Interior materials locked in
Silicone-molded cup holders, door pockets, and console inserts — all mounted in a carbon-fiber frame. Coffee-resistant. Wine-resistant. Available in any color. The supplier carries a 15-year warranty on the material. We’re defining three standard interior color packages, with full custom available for anyone willing to pay for it.
SS304 exhaust partnership
We’ve connected with an exhaust manufacturer that has CNC tube bending and laser welding. They’re excited to work with us. Stainless steel 304 — the consensus pick from several racing exhaust specialists we consulted. Better than titanium for our heat-cycle profile (titanium cracks under thermal shock), easy to weld, and thin-wall construction keeps the weight down. Two-week manufacturing time.
Production tooling complete
Every jig we need for serial production is now on the shelf: flap jigs, aileron jigs, rudder, vertical stab, horizontal stab, elevator, landing gear installation jigs. Iron drill jigs with heat-treated guides. The wing jigs are protectively stored. All the tail section molds are done. We are no longer building a prototype — we’re building the first production aircraft using production tooling.
What’s next
June: fuselage shells get joined. Side windows go in. Door electronics get finalized. The team from Texas visits the workshop in Hungary for the first time. And we keep pushing forward.
