It’s not often that a grounded airplane design returns to the skies, but such will be the case for a Windecker Eagle currently in restoration. The airplane was designed in the 1960s. It was the first composite airplane to achieve certification and one of the first, if not the first, airplanes certified under Part 23 rules. As an early adopter of composite materials, the Eagle outran the Beechcraft Bonanza, Cessna 210 and Bellanca Viking in its day.
The restoration was commissioned by Chinese entrepreneur Wei Hang. Two airplanes were brought in for the project, both of which had been grounded for decades. “We’ve replaced most everything from the firewall forward and refurbished to ‘better than new’ the landing gear, flight controls and mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems,” said Don Atchinson, who heads up the restoration team. “The windows, windshield and interior will be completely new and there will be a number of upgrades in the panel when it flies again.”
