What I learned reminded me how so many of Germany’s
best-known companies have thrived in global markets,
namely through a mindset that includes engineering
excellence, patience, ingenuity, frugality, pragmatism,
advanced manufacturing technology, and a healthy dose
of stubbornness.
operations needed on the tube. Once removed from the
machine, it’s ready for assembly. Standard, aviation-grade
fasteners are used to connect components into a rigid
space frame that becomes the fuselage. Two additional
tubes of 80 mm and 58 mm diameter serve as front and
rear spars for the wings.
Having worked with Formula One and NASCAR
teams in my engineering career, I know that a well-designed tubular space frame can be just as strong as
the monocoque, stressed-skin aircraft more typical of
SECRETS TO SUCCESS
During my visit, the 1,000th C- 42 was being prepared for
delivery, this one to D.K.L. Airlight, the exclusive distributor for Ikarus in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The
company has produced 1,000 aircraft in 10 years, has a
current production rate of about two airplanes per week,
and has a backlog of more than six months. Combining
the production of the C- 22 and C- 42, that’s some 2,500
propeller aircraft in 20 years, quite an accomplishment,
especially considering that Ikarus has never tried hard to
sell its airplanes in the world’s largest aviation market, the
United States. As of July 2008, there were only a handful
of C-22s and C-42s registered in the United States.
I asked Jörg what his company’s secret to success has
been. What he said surprised me, but made a great deal
of sense. “We think of our C-42B as the VW Golf of the
LSA industry. For a few years, there was a trend towards
sleeker, composite aircraft, but now we are experiencing
a return to traditional designs that are easier and safer to
fly and less expensive to operate and repair.” Jörg further
explained: “While others offer Ferraris and Porsches, we
stick with a proven efficient design, much like the VW
Golf.” His analogy was well-chosen. The venerable VW
Golf, the world’s third-most popular car of all time, has
been in production since 1974. According to Markus,
“Like the Golf, the C- 42’s popularity is the result of a
solid, efficient, and affordable design that has evolved
gradually over time according to customer demands and
through improvements in technology and materials.”
“We like to keep things simple,” Jörg continued, “using
a conventional mixed construction of tubular aluminum
load-bearing members in the fuselage and wing internal
structure, non-stressed composite skins on the fuselage,
and an advanced wing covering material made for us
in Switzerland. Non-stressed skins are lighter than com-
posite or monocoque structures and are easier to repair
since they are not load-bearing. We need very few rivets
and welds, preferring structures and materials that have
evolved from our early experience with hang gliders.” The
simplicity in the C- 42’s structure is brilliant: nearly all of
its components can be quickly bolted together, making
assembly, maintenance, upgrades, inspections, and repairs
refreshingly easy. For instance, Ikarus offers three variants
of its composite fuselage skins—fiberglass, glass plus hon-
eycomb, or carbon fiber—depending on the customer’s
willingness to pay more for the lighter components. The
panels can be replaced in a matter of minutes.
Markus and Jörg showed me around the machine
shop, one of the two modest buildings at the east end
of the Mengen airfield that are all that’s needed to produce 100 C-42s a year. “The heart of the airplane is this
tube,” explained Jörg, pointing to a 165 mm diameter
tube of aluminum that forms the keel of the fuselage.
To guarantee accuracy, Ikarus has invested in advanced
computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery that
automatically performs all drilling, tapping, and milling
Kent Misegades Kent Misegades
UPPER: Paul Arutjunjun demonstrates the custom CNC machine
that performs all machining steps on the primary fuselage tube.
LOWER: C- 42 fuselage complete, prior to attachment of
composite skins.
