The Sky Arrow, a composite, tandem airplane with a pusher prop, is under new ownership, the new owners announced at Sun ‘n Fun on Wednesday. Magnaghi Aeronautica, based in Naples, Italy, has bought the design, first introduced in 1993, and plans to upgrade it with new features such as larger wing tanks, improved aerodynamic design and stability, stronger structural elements, and new avionics. It will be available as both an LSA and a certified aircraft, company spokesman Vincenzo Damiano told AVweb. The company also is developing a four-seat version of the airplane.
The company sees a market for the aircraft to fill the need for border patrol, pollution monitoring, and other aerial-surveillance missions. It can carry sensors in its belly or its nose, and will operate at about one-seventh the cost of a helicopter, the company says. The airplane also will be available as a kit. They expect to have a new version of the aircraft flying at EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh later this summer, Damiano said.
