CGS Aviation, Inc. is an American

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

based in

Grand Bay, Alabama Grand Bay is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. The population was 3,460 at the 2020 census. History According to local account ...

. The company was founded by Chuck Slusarczyk in the early 1970s in

Broadview Heights, Ohio Broadview Heights is a city in southern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 19,936 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. ...

as ''Chuck's Glider Supplies''. Today it is run by Danny Dezauche and specializes in the design and manufacture of

ultralight aircraft 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 Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

in the form of kits for amateur construction and ready-to-fly aircraft in the US

FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft exist outside of the United States. In most countries, ultralights are a class of aircraft. A completely different legal concept is valid within the USA. The FAA makes explicitly clear that ultralight vehicles are not air ...

rules category.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook'', page 132-133. BAI Communications. Downey, Julia: ''2008 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, page 45-46. Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Kitplanes Staff: ''1999 Kit Aircraft Directory'', Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 42-43. Primedia Publications. IPM 0462012Cliche, Andre: ''Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide'' 8th Edition, page B-28 & B-82 Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 45. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 34. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X

History

The company started in the early 1970s as a

hang glider Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

manufacturer and

aircraft part An aircraft part is an article or component approved for installation on a type-certificated aircraft. Approval for these parts is derived from the jurisdictions of the countries that an aircraft is based. In the United States, the Federal Aviati ...

s supplier under the name ''Chucks' Glider Supplies''. Founder Chuck Slusarczyk later carried out experiments with

powered hang glider A foot-launched powered hang glider (FLPHG), also called powered harness, nanolight, or hangmotor, is a powered hang glider harness with a motor and propeller often in pusher configuration, although some can be found in tractor configuration. ...

s and developed a

reduction drive A reduction drive is a mechanical device to shift rotational speed. A planetary reduction drive is a small scale version using ball bearings in an epicyclic arrangement instead of toothed gears. Reduction drives are used in engines of all kinds ...

system to turn larger propellers more slowly to reduce noise and improve efficiency. He was granted a US patent for his system. In October 1979 the company was renamed ''CGS Aviation, Inc.'' In 1980 development of the

CGS Hawk The CGS Hawk is a family of high wing, strut-braced, pusher configuration, single and two-seats-in-tandem ultralight aircraft, designed by Chuck Slusarczyk and manufactured by CGS Aviation.Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter – Homebuilt Aircraft Sourc ...

aircraft series was begun, starting with a survey of pilot expectations and desires for a new ultralight aircraft design.

Products

The Hawk line of ultralight aircraft was introduced at

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Intern ...

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

, in March, 1982. The Hawk was the first fully enclosed ultralight, the first with fully

strut-braced In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...

wings, three-axis controls, a steerable nose or tail wheel and

wing flap A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landin ...

s. The original 1982 CGS Hawk Classic remains in production in 2015. The Hawk series includes the single seat Hawk Arrow, Hawk Plus, Hawk Sport, Hawk Ultra and AG-Hawk. Two seat models include the Hawk Classic II and the Hawk Arrow II. More than 1700 Hawks series aircraft have been flown. The Hawk prototype was named ''Best New Design for 1982'' at Sun 'n Fun in March 1982. At the EAA Convention in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

that same year the Hawk was named ''Outstanding New Design'' and also ''Reserve Grand Champion''. At Oshkosh 1983, the Hawk won the ''Dupont Kevlar Air Recreational Vehicle Design Competition'' against more than 126 other aircraft designs in the competition.

Aircraft

References

External links

*
Company website archives
on

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

{{CGS Aviation aircraft Aircraft manufacturers of the United States Ultralight aircraft Homebuilt aircraft