Joe Brown’s Sportsman 2 + 2 and Two Weeks to Taxi

David Gustafson

Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 10:34 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The "Two Weeks to Taxi" program was created to drastically reduce the time needed to build an experimental amateur aircraft.
The program interprets the FAA's 51 percent rule to allow builders credit for assembling largely pre-cut and pre-drilled parts with extensive professional assistance.
This highly organized, assisted building process enables a ready-to-fly aircraft to be completed in as little as 13 days, working long shifts with dedicated tools and guidance.

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One of Tom Hamilton’s last designs before moving into commercial aviation was the GlaStar. After selling the company to the employees they made some significant changes to the design and relabeled it the Sportsman 2 + 2.

When the company was sold to Tom Wathen and placed in the hands of Mikael Via, the decision was made to launch a program no one had ever envisioned before: Three Weeks to Taxi. Experience provided efficiencies and the name changed to Two Weeks to Taxi.