Wheeler Express questions.

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

Does anyone have experience with this plane? It looks like a low cost alternative to the SR 22. There's one for sale at Trade a Plane for $80k. http://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?s-type=aircraft&make=Wheeler&model=Express&s-seq=2&s-lvl=2
A quick google search pulls up an article that suggests the early models had some handling problems. http://www.theledger.com/article/20070418/NEWS/704180453b Does anyone know what the facts are??

 

[Tom-D]

Does anyone have experience with this plane? It looks like a low cost alternative to the SR 22. There's one for sale at Trade a Plane for $80k. http://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?s-type=aircraft&make=Wheeler&model=Express&s-seq=2&s-lvl=2
A quick google search pulls up an article that suggests the early models had some handling problems. http://www.theledger.com/article/20070418/NEWS/704180453b Does anyone know what the facts are??

Yes I have experience with Wheeler Express.

The company was a local company that made few big management decisions that cost the company to go bankrupt.

They had a few kits delivered and was in process of making a lot more when they allowed a low timed pilot to ferry a demo aircraft to OSH, he was doing Acro on the way and lost control killing 4, the after effect of that accident, gave the design a bad rap. sales stopped and the they lost the company to the bank.

sad, it was a nice aircraft, and a leader in the composite aircraft industry.

 

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

Yes I have experience with Wheeler Express.

The company was a local company that made few big management decisions that cost the company to go bankrupt.

They had a few kits delivered and was in process of making a lot more when they allowed a low timed pilot to ferry a demo aircraft to OSH, he was doing Acro on the way and lost control killing 4, the after effect of that accident, gave the design a bad rap. sales stopped and the they lost the company to the bank.

sad, it was a nice aircraft, and a leader in the composite aircraft industry.

So the claims of handling problems with early models are bunk??

Is seems as if someone bought what was left of the company and is making these again (or at least supporting them).

http://www.express-aircraft.com/services.asp

 

[mirage00]

I loved that airplane back when they first demoed it. The kit was very well done with numbered parts and detailed build instructions. As someone mentioned above, bad company decisions and a little bit of bad luck did them in. I think it's a beautiful airplane.