Makelan Corporation

Makelan Corporation
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
FoundedLate 1990s
Headquarters
New Braunfels, Texas
,
United States
Key people
J. W. (Jeff) Shoemake (owner)
Sylvia Shoemake (manager)
ProductsKit aircraft
Websitewebsite archives

The Makelan Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer based in New Braunfels, Texas. The company provides kits for the Hatz Classic biplane design.[1][2]

J. W. (Jeff) Shoemake is the company owner, while Sylvia Shoemake is manager.[3]

The company's sole product is a development of the Hatz CB-1, that was designed by John Hatz in the 1960s. The Hatz Classic is an improved model with additional cockpit room, designed by Billy Dawson of Seguin, Texas in the 1990s. Dawson's prototype first flew in 1996 and won several awards, including Reserve Grand Champion - Plans Built at Airventure 1996, Grand Champion Experimental and Reserve Grand Champion Open Cockpit - Biplane at the 1997 Biplane Expo and Grand Champion - Plans Built at AirVenture 1997.[4]

By 1998 the company reported that five Hatz Classic kits had been sold and three aircraft were completed and flying.[1] In September 2014 twelve examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.[5]

Aircraft

Hatz Classic in flight
Summary of aircraft built by Makelan Corporation
Model name First flight Number built Type
Hatz Classic 1990s at least 12 homebuilt biplane

References

  1. ^ a b Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 205. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  2. ^ Vandermeullen, Richard: 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 61. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  3. ^ Makelan Corporation (n.d.). "Contact". Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  4. ^ Makelan Corporation (n.d.). "History". Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  5. ^ Federal Aviation Administration (September 10, 2014). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved September 10, 2014.