A pair of wheelpants that open up on the ground and close up in flight to completely cover the tires won this year’s LoPresti Innovation Award, company spokesman RJ Siegel announced at Sun ‘n Fun on Friday. The award comes with a plaque and a year’s worth of support and advice to help bring the product to market. The wheelpants were designed by James Bede Jr. of BedeCorp. Siegel said he expects to see the pants in production and available for sale by EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh later this summer. “The first ones will fit an RV-7 or RV-10,” he said, “and will add as much as 8 knots to cruise speed.” Those wheelpants will sell for $1,995 a pair, he said, and he hopes to soon add more designs for more aircraft, including certified airplanes. The award was established last year in honor of the company founder, Roy LoPresti.
The company accepts applications for the award year round, and soon will have a place to submit them at their Web site, Siegel said. The applications are reviewed by a panel of seven judges that includes engineers, marketing experts, and business people, who look for ideas that are not only innovative but marketable.
