WASILLA, Alaska — Airforms has begun shipping mud and gravel deflectors for STC installation on the GippsAero GA8 and GA8-TC Airvan.
Manufactured in Australia, the GA8/GA8-TC was designed to carry up to eight people into backcountry locations with minimal air strips. Besides passenger service, they are used for a wide range of missions around the globe, including freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, intelligence, reconnaissance, and search and rescue operations.
Landings on dirt, gravel, or in open fields can result in FOD damage to the fuselage or empennage. Developing an STC for mudflaps just made sense, according to Airforms officials.
The new mudflap kits feature a high strength steel frame for durability, powder coating to resist corrosion, mudflaps that are made from 2-ply nylon reinforced rubber for long life, and all required hardware. No drilling is required. The flaps are FAA PMA and STC approved.
Each mudflap is $975, with a pair priced at $1,950. The STC is included free of charge with the purchase of a pair of deflectors.
I would wager most commenters have never jumped through the hoops to get an STC. The complexity of a product in terms of design and manufacture is one thing, but the cost of testing and certification is another. I’m not defending the certification process, but it is a reality that every manufacturer has to deal with.
Where is Weathertec when you need them???
$975 for a mudflap???? Is it just me or am I correct in saying that’s wrong on so many levels.
– Materials for mudflap – $125
– Labor – $150
– Bureaucratic Horse Malarkey – $700
This is not sustainable. When will we come to our senses???
If I added correctly that’s $975 leaving $975 for profit. No a bad business model and leaving the ability to give a steep multiple kit discount. It’s only bad if the malarkey is $1400, then that leaves $275 for profit.
Should have added I got your point and malarkey and liability are out of control.