Building powerchutes for working Americans

We've all heard the old saying that "you get what you pay for". In some cases this is true. In other cases this is completely false. 

Many of us can remember paying "through the nose" for that "dream truck, boat or motorcycle" only to realize later that the product didn't even begin to live up to the hype that had been laid on so thick by the dealer and manufacturer.

I realized long ago that a basic 4x4 truck would get me just as far off the road as a loaded out 4x4 truck and sometimes farther because it was not "weighed down" with a ton of options.

I realized that at trade-in time both trucks were worth about the same money.

I also realized that I had been "took to the cleaners" by skilled salespeople and slick advertising by the manufacturers.

People regularly ask me, "How can you price your powerchutes so cheap?"

I always reply, "My powerchutes are not priced cheap. The other powerchutes are priced too high."

I don't know about you but $5000.00-$10000.00 is still a lot of money to me and paying $13000.00 to $40000.00 for a powerchute borders on lunacy. There are plenty of good used Cessnas available in that price range.

People regularly ask me, "Why are the other powerchutes priced so high?"

I carefully explain to them why other powerchutes are priced so high:

• Dealer networks. Powerchute dealers must be paid a commission on every sale.  Guess whose pocket this commission comes out of? After you 've paid this commission,you the buyer gets very little for your money. Most dealers offer to assemble your powerchute kit (all our aircraft are sold ready to fly), break-in the engine (all our engines are broken in) and connect the canopy (all our canopies are installed and adjusted).  Most dealers offer free training with every sale. They can well afford to considering the commission they are paid. Many powerchute dealers on the 'net tell you to never buy a powerchute unless there is a dealer in your area to service you. Please note: No matter what brand of powerchute you buy / own, eventually you will need parts for it. These parts can be purchased directly from the manufacturer by you and installed by you. If you have questions about your powerchute, engine or canopy who better to call than the people that manufactured it? So what did that dealer commission really get you? 

• Rotax engines. Only a fool would tell you that Rotax doesn't build good, reliable engines. By the same token, only a fool or someone with VERY limited experience would tell you that Hirth, Kawasaki and Fuji doesn't build good, reliable engines also. The problem is, that using a Rotax 582 engine on a powerchute (instead of a Hirth 3203) can easily add $2000.00 to $3000.00 to the cost of a powerchute and adds nothing to the reliability or performance of the powerchute. Rotax also offers 1/2 the warranty that Hirth offers. Rotax engines are priced much higher than Hirth engines simply because of name recognition. When you buy a powerchute with a Rotax engine on it you are paying through the nose for  name recognition. 

• Blind adherence to more expensive construction techniques. Most of you already know that if you squint your eyes a little bit, you really can't tell the difference between most brands of powerchutes. Almost all of them are very similar. Most of the other brands are bolted together. Bolting together an airframe is very labor intensive and requires very expensive connectors to hold the airframe together. This is a much more expensive construction method that adds nothing to the safety, performance or durability of the powerchute itself. But hey, powerchutes have been bolted together for 20+ years so that must be the best method of construction? No. Bolting together is simply one method of construction and it is a much more expensive method that easily adds $1000.00+ to the cost of a new powerchute in labor and material costs alone. Once again, you are paying through the nose for more expensive construction techniques .

• Expensive fly-ins and print ads. Fly-ins are a blast. Large fly-ins are a nightmare to host and very, very expensive. Full page print ads are very expensive. These things are designed to instill a certain image in your brain about the company paying for them. You are supposed to think that the particular company is doing really well and is the dominate force in the powerchute industry. Nothing could be further from the truth, and expensive fly-ins, large print ads, etc. add nothing to the performance or durability of your powerchute. Once more, you are paying through the nose for a carefully crafted image.

I could go on and on but I believe you probably get my point. 

If you remove the dealer commission, new Rotax engine, expensive construction methods and expensive ads/fly-ins from the cost of a new powerchute you then have a much more affordable powerchute. You have an Airframes Unlimited powerchute. All value, all safety, all performance, at about 1/2 the price.

There are still a few bargains left in this world,

and an Airframes Unlimited powerchute is one of them.

We are located in Athens Texas (that's 65 miles southeast of Dallas)