Roger Helton, CEO of SuperPetrel USA, sent in this photo, one of about 600 taken during a weekend photo shoot with photographer Kristina Funderburk of Crystal Clear Images. The picture depicts a SuperPetrel LS on the step on Lake Disston, just north of DeLand, Florida, flown by SuperPetrel USA’s chief pilot Shevy Shevalier.
Helton reports the plane, powered by a Rotax fuel-injected 912iS engine, has just eight hours on it, just arriving from the factory in Brazil. After being built and test flown in Sao Paolo, the planes are shipped to the United States in crates. After arriving at the SuperPetrel USA headquarters in Ormond Beach, Florida, it takes about a day to get the plane out of the container and reassemble it. Then the planes are test flown, inspected by an FAA official to get an airworthiness certificate, then the new owner can begin training in it, according to Helton.
“It’s about six months from the date of deposit to sitting in the plane and getting training,” he reports. He adds that the company trains each of its new customers to ensure safe flight.
