ATOL 495 explained

Atol is a two-seat kit amphibious aircraft with a wood composite structure. It was to be built in ultralight and light-sport aircraft (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.[1]

By 2022, the company website had been taken down and the domain was for sale.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4] This new version first flew on 9 April 2015.[5]

The 650 model was intended to be built in Maine, United States, with European deliveries initially forecast for late in 2018 and US deliveries starting in 2019.[6]

On 3 July 2018, the 650 LSA prototype (OH-XNA) crashed and burnt, near Rovaniemi.[7]

By November 2022, the company website had been taken down, and the domain was for sale.[2] It is likely all development on the aircraft has ended. The proposed American manufacturer, Atol USA, was administratively dissolved on 13 August 2021.[8]

Notes

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Finnish Amphib To Be Built In Maine. 9 April 2017. Niles. Russ . AVweb. 8 April 2017. https://archive.today/20221123030135/https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/finnish-amphib-to-be-built-in-maine/. 23 November 2022. live.
  2. Web site: The domain name atol.fi is for sale!. 22 November 2022. GoDaddy. GoDaddy. dan.com. 2022. https://archive.today/20221122140828/https://dan.com/buy-domain/atol.fi?redirected=true. 22 November 2022. live.
  3. Web site: History. 23 November 2022. Atol Avion. atol.fi. 15 November 2022. https://archive.today/20130213101805/http://www.atol.fi/atol-amfibio/history. 13 February 2013. dead.
  4. News: Atol Starts Water-Taxi Tests. 26 December 2014. Grady. Mary. 24 December 2014. AVweb. https://archive.today/20221123030148/https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/atol-starts-water-taxi-tests/. 23 November 2022. live.
  5. Web site: Atol Amphib Completes First Flight. avweb.com. 13 April 2015. https://archive.today/20221123030143/https://www.avweb.com/news/atol-amphib-completes-first-flight/. 23 November 2022. live.
  6. Web site: Aero: Atol 650 Amphib Finds U.S. Manufacturer. 24 April 2018. Baker. Jason. AVweb. 21 April 2018. https://archive.today/20221123030202/https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/aero-atol-650-amphib-finds-u-s-manufacturer/. 23 November 2022. live.
  7. Web site: Accident ATOL 650 LSA OH-XNA, 03 Jul 2018. Harro. Ranter. aviation-safety.net. 3 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180703221429/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=212832. 3 July 2018. live.
  8. Web site: Atol USA, Inc.. 22 November 2022. Maine Secretary Of State Business Registration. bizapedia.com. 13 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20221122143220/https://www.bizapedia.com/me/atol-usa-inc.html. 22 November 2022. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "ATOL 495".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.