Atol is a two-seat kit

amphibious aircraft An amphibious aircraft, or amphibian, is an aircraft that can Takeoff, take off and Landing, land on both solid ground and water. These aircraft are typically Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing, though Amphibious helicopter, amphibious helicopte ...

with a wood composite structure. It was to be built in

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

and

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictions on weigh ...

(LSA) versions. Atol aircraft were produced by the Finnish company Atol Avion. In April 2017, it was announced that the aircraft would be built for the North American market by Atol USA of Brunswick Landing, Maine. By 2022, the company website had been taken down and the domain was for sale.

Development

The Atol was designed by Markku Koivurova and produced by Martekno Ky and later Atol Avion Ltd. The development of Atol began in the 1970s, inspired by the American Osprey II. The first versions of the design used the Ken Rand KR structure. Atol's predecessors were larger and their structure recalled the traditional structure of a wooden aircraft. The first water taxi tests of the new LSA version, the Atol 650, were commenced in December 2014 on the Kemijoki River, Finland, on the Arctic Circle. This new version first flew on 9 April 2015. The 650 model was intended to be built in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with European deliveries initially forecast for late in 2018 and US deliveries starting in 2019. On 3 July 2018, the 650 LSA prototype (OH-XNA) crashed and burnt, near Rovaniemi. By November 2022, the company website had been taken down, and the domain was for sale. It is likely all development on the aircraft has ended. The proposed American manufacturer, Atol USA, was administratively dissolved on 13 August 2021.

Specifications (ATOL 495 LSA)

Notes

*Bodin, Jan: ''Perpetual Product Development - a Study of Small Technology-Driven Firms 2000'', p. 143-151, University of Umeå's print, Umeå Sweden, 2000. *Joensuu, Elina: ''Design in Finland 30 Years 1991'', p. 30, Hämee's bookprint Ltd, Häme Finland, 1991. ISSN 0418-7717

References

{{Reflist

External links

Atol Avion Ltd

Atol 450
at the

Finnish Aviation Museum The Finnish Aviation Museum (, ) is a museum specialising in aircraft, located near Helsinki Airport in Veromies, Vantaa, Finland. History The Aviation Museum Society () was founded on 4 December 1969. Opened in 1972, the museum was initially loc ...

Amphibious aircraft