"Dear Mr. Scoda,

The Super Petrel kitset arrived here yesterday morning. The whole freight operation went smoothly with no significant delays or problems, and the thorough packing job done at your end paid off with no damage to any parts at all.

I was very pleasantly surprised as I began unloading the container. I had read the Paturi manual, and was expecting to spend several months fibreglassing parts together (eg fuselage bulkheads, chine join, wing leading edges, ailerons etc.) but all that is done! The aircraft is virtually finished except for covering, painting and final assembly!  All of the really critical work which affects wing geometry, like
positioning of wing attachments and the fitting of struts, you have already completed.

You have supplied a much more complete set of equipment than I was expecting, including:

(a) full engine installation kit (incl. rubber mounts, throttle & choke systems, radiator mounts, elec. fuel pump, fuel filter & fittings)- I had ordered, I thought, a only bare engine mount.

(b) instruments & electrical components- I wasnt expecting these either, I thought that you only supplied these with a fully built plane.

There are many design details which I am very pleased to see. I especially like the twin aileron teleflex cables, having experienced an aileron failure in  flight on a microlight, due to the failure of a teleflex cable - the guide tube  on one end became detached from its base, preventing any "push" action. There are really quite a large number of differences from the original Petrel, some major, as of course you would know, so I will restrain myself and not continue here, other than to say that I am very pleased indeed with the considerable development work that has obviously been done on the plane.

Quality of construction: Overall good. As I was unpacking parts, some stood out - The leading edge skins on the top wing are really beautifully made, with the many carefully placed pieces of foam core stiffening between the ribs, while keeping the skin thin over the ribs themselves. Its almost a pity to cover it up. The fuselage is very free of any waviness, even over bulkheads, with a good gelcoat, and all the internal work has been tidily finished, either with peel ply or sanding. The light weight of the tailboom/rudder assembly is a credit to both the designer and builders. The many metal fittings show top workmanship- a lot of them look as if they have been cut on a C.N.C. machine, with very accurate profiles and hole placement. I had wondered how the main lift struts were connected to the tubular spar in the top wing, and the answer was not disappointing!

So you can see then that I am very pleased. You have given me a much better deal than I was expecting.

I hope the Super Petrel proves to be commercially successful for your firm. It certainly deserves to be, I am more convinced than ever that it is the best microlight amphibian currently available, except possibly for the Paturi if one requires the higher payload.

Kind regards,

David Knaggs
Auckland, New Zealand"