NEWS ARCHIVE

February 2006 PAC 750XL UPDATE 2005 was a great year for Utility Aircraft Company. We attended a number of events and air shows, meeting lots of great people and learning a great deal in the process. In our August 2005 update we talked about the events. Here is a recap of the Year: January 2005: We started the year with the Army Parachute Team leased a PAC 750XL for its winter training camp in Yuma, AZ. We had a great time flying circles around their Twin Otter and Fokker F-27’s. Their four way team stated that they had never been able to do some many training jumps in such little time. Efficiency is the name of the game! February 2005: Mark – Mark Air took delivery of the third PAC 750XL in the USA. It went to work immediately at Skydive Taft, CA. March 2005: MAXim Aviation took delivery of their second PAC 750XL and put it to work in East Troy, WI at the Sky Knights Sport Parachute Club. Alaska Airman’s show in May in Anchorage, AK, where every demo flight was engulfed in beauty! Not to mention the flights to and from AK. July: Delivery of the next plane to Larry Pennington, of Skydive Suffolk, VA. In December Larry reported to us that the purchase of this plane was the best financial decision of his life. July – August we were at the Oshkosh Air Show. There we were able to display the first PAC 750XL from the Joint Venture’s Mecachrome Canada plant. And we had a second PAC for demo flights. October: Our next show was the AOPA convention in Tampa, Fl in Late October. The AOPA folks put on a good convention, well organized, lots of vendors and a good atmosphere. We had two aircraft on display there, one static and one for flying Demos. We have come to the conclusion that the flying display is a great way to go. Looking at airplanes on static display is one thing, but until you take someone for a demo ride and give them stick time, they just don't know what this machine is all about. Seasoned pilots were giddy after a turn at the stick flying this bird. It just blows them away. After one season, the Sky Knights have confirmed all of our claims about the performance of the PAC, averaging 4 loads per hours with an average fuel burn of 11.5 gals per load. This became a VERY Important factor late last summer when we saw the price of jet fuel climb north of $4.00 per Gallon. It is pretty simple math to see that the PAC 750XL is the only plane that pencils out, especially as a lessee. Flying at a mini boogie in Michigan, the PAC literally lapped a Grand Caravan! With rising fuel cost, it becomes clear that inefficient aircraft will not work in the skydiving industry. There are now three organizations that have purchased a second PAC 750XL after operating one for a year or less. In October we also delivered to MAXim Aviation their THIRD 750XL. It is very clear to these companies that this is the only competitive aircraft now and in the future for the Skydiving industry. Other operators are starting to see the reality of their older fleet of jump planes. In December Skydive DeLand placed an order for a new PAC 750XL after leasing one for just a month. And Raeford Aviation placed their order shortly after seeing it fly in NC for the Army Parachute Team reunion. Now that we have a number of planes in service, our spread sheets has been validated. Even though we set the spread sheet up as a conservative model, our numbers were so out of sync with what everyone was accustomed to that many were doubtful. But seeing the PAC 750XL operate makes believers out of everyone. This plane performs better than advertised. Now that we have a proven performer in the SkyDiving Industry, in 2006 we will be focusing on other markets as well. IFR certification flights are complete and FAA certification is very near. The cargo pod design is finished and testing for certification is under way. And the new Aero Twin passenger seat, with integral shoulder harness is certified and go with the PAC 750XL’s new floor. 2006 will be the year that other markets will be able to take advantage of this bird’s performance. We are also working towards De-ice certification for 2006. All of this is being accomplished in conjunction with certification in Europe. While other companies are very good at producing great brochures, and promises, Pacific Aerospace is busy getting the job done. Pacific Aerospace is also capable of designing special purpose aircraft. A PAC 750XL has been fitted with a full suite of geophysical mapping equipment. This involves the fitting of a stinger on the tail, odd shaped magnetometers on the wing tips, computers, air-conditioning, engine air filtration systems, long range fuel tanks, MP3 players and more! With its power to weight ratio and performance capabilities, the PAC 750XL is an excellent geophysical survey platform. We look forward to another exciting 2006 and more opportunities to introduce you to this great, versatile aircraft. Feel free to contact us if you want to arrange a demo, place an order or just talk to us about any questions or comments you might have. We would love to hear from you. See our web site for new high resolution images, www.utilityaircraft.com/highresolutionphotos.html Feel free to contact us. Regards, Philip Esdaile UTILITY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION PO Box 1235 Woodland, CA 95776 USA pesdaile@utilityaircraft.com www.utilityaircraft.com (530) 750-3226 (530) 754-7371 FAX