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 Rex Nelson (left) of the McCook Economic Development Corp. chats with Ron Willocks of Pawnee Aviation and Kenneth Bracht of Valmont. (Bruce Crosby/McCook Daily Gazette) [Click to enlarge] |
A production helicopter built from a kit manufactured in McCook.
The Florida event is the second largest one sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association -- behind the huge Oshkosh, Wis., fly-in each summer, "and we'll be there," Ron Willocks of Pawnee Aviation said Monday night.
Willocks was the guest of honor at a reception at the Bieroc Cafe announcing the successful recruitment of his Longmont, Colo., company to the McCook area.
"Pawnee Aviation will make an impact on McCook and the surrounding area as they build and design helicopters," Rex Nelson, executive director of the McCook Economic Development Corp. said.
The company will receive $300,000 from the Community Development Block Grant revolving loan fund, as approved by the Red Willow County Commissioners earlier in the day (see related story).
Some $100,000 of that will be forgiven, provided the company meets employment goals, Nelson said.
Willocks, who was looking at potential sites for his factory today, said two or three local employees would be hired as soon as the company begins unloading manufacturing equipment.
It will take about 60 days for the factory to tool up for production.
Under the agreement, Pawnee Aviation will start with 10 full-time equivalent employees, and grow as the demand for its helicopter increases. They will include welders, and other specially trained production workers.
"McCook will be a wonderful partner and an ideal location as we begin our production phase of the Warrior (single seat) and Chief (2-3 seat) helicopters," Willocks said.
He said his company examined several possible locations for the new factory, including Switzerland, but that would have been a long commute, he quipped.
When he visited McCook, it felt a lot like his home town of Maryville in east Tennessee.
Built by the owners who will fly them, the Warrior will be powered by a new 6-cylinder radial engine being developed in Cheyenne, Wyo., and the Chief will be powered by a V-8 racing engine from General Motors.
The Chief will cost about $66,500, and the Warrior, which requires more assembly, will be about $20,000, he said.
The Chief is better and about a $1,000 cheaper than its competitor, Willocks said. It will cost about $30 an hour to operate, and can carry a larger payload, he added.
A third model will be offered by 2006, he said, but he was tight-lipped about that design, which he said would be "revolutionary."
Pawnee Aviation's main competitor keeps three helicopters and flight instructors busy year round, he said, and he plans to require three separate weeks of training for his customers. That would include solo, cross country and flight review.
One helicopter pilot is already committed to moving to McCook, where the training program will be operated along with the manufacturing.
Pilots buy the kit, assemble it, and then go through a process of Federal Aviation Administration inspection and approval. After that, he said, the aircraft are just like any other.
Willocks, who formerly owned an aviation advertising agency and was editor of Kitplane Magazine in the 1980s, said Igor Bensen of gyrocopter fame convinced him that helicopters were the wave of the future.
Then in the oil and gas business, Willocks bought a helicopter kit and built it -- only to find it wouldn't fly.
Bringing in expert help, he spent another $60,000 getting it to fly. By then, he had spent so much that he decided he should use that knowledge to market his own kits.
Ten years, 15 prototypes, and help from experts like NASA, Georgia Tech, University of Colorado, retired Boeing and Bell employees and others, his company is ready to "do it and do it right."
Much effort has been spent in the proprietary composite rotor system, he said, which will be manufactured here using an infusion resin transfer molding process.
Willocks said he has deposits in the bank for people wishing to buy the company's helicopter kits, and a list of some 700 potential customers around the country.
"There are a lot of frustrated Huey pilots out there who want to fly," he said. He also hinted that a market might be developed for Homeland Security or Border Patrol use.
Nelson acknowledged that funding projects such as this is "not without risk," but said he and other MEDC worked hard in determining the feasibility of the project.
Greg Wolford, president of the MEDC board of directors, praised Nelson and staff for "the diligence and research devoted to making this project feasible for McCook."
Pawnee Aviation
McCook Economic Development Corp