Makelan Corporation

Makelan Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer based in New Braunfels, Texas. Its business is centered on the Hatz Classic, a plans-built, homebuilt biplane kit derived from the Hatz CB-1 design. Rather than operating as a broad commercial-aircraft producer, the company occupies a specialist position in the experimental and amateur-built aviation market, where builders assemble aircraft from kits and subsequently complete the required inspection and registration processes. The Hatz Classic originated as an updated interpretation of the Hatz CB-1, an open-cockpit biplane designed by John Hatz during the 1960s. The later aircraft was developed in the 1990s by Billy Dawson of Seguin, Texas. Dawson's version retained the general character of the earlier Hatz design while adding more cockpit room. His prototype first flew in 1996 and received recognition at major American experimental-aircraft events, including Reserve Grand Champion in the Plans Built category at AirVenture 1996. It also earned Grand Champion Experimental and Reserve Grand Champion Open Cockpit–Biplane honors at the 1997 Biplane Expo, followed by Grand Champion in the Plans Built category at AirVenture 1997. Makelan Corporation provides the kits associated with this Hatz Classic development. The available reference material identifies the Hatz Classic as the company's sole product, making the business a focused niche manufacturer rather than a diversified aerospace group. Its customers are homebuilders and recreational aviation enthusiasts seeking to construct a traditional biplane with the support of a kit-based design. The company's product model is therefore tied to the availability of plans, components, technical information, and builder interest rather than to high-volume aircraft production. The company reported that five Hatz Classic kits had been sold and that three aircraft had been completed and were flying by 1998. A later review of United States Federal Aviation Administration registration data found twelve examples registered in the country in September 2014. These figures describe the known scale of the aircraft type and do not establish current sales, production volume, or financial performance. The available reference identifies J. W. (Jeff) Shoemake as the owner and Sylvia Shoemake as manager. No reliable information is provided about the company's founding date, corporate structure, revenue, workforce, or operations outside the United States. Makelan is best understood as a small specialist brand in the amateur-built-aircraft sector. Its identity is closely linked to the Hatz Classic name and to the continuing appeal of plans-built, open-cockpit biplanes. Publicly documented information about the company is limited, and its present operating status, current production levels, and ongoing management have not been independently established in the supplied sources.

Makelan Corporation is documented as an aircraft manufacturer located in New Braunfels, Texas, with a business focused on kits for the Hatz Classic homebuilt biplane. The company's product lineage reaches back to the Hatz CB-1, an aircraft designed by John Hatz in the 1960s. The Hatz CB-1 established the basic biplane concept that later served as the foundation for the Hatz Classic. During the 1990s, Billy Dawson of Seguin, Texas, developed the Hatz Classic as an improved version of the earlier design. One stated objective of the revision was to provide additional cockpit room while preserving the aircraft's traditional open-cockpit biplane character. Dawson's prototype made its first flight in 1996. Its early public record was strong: it received Reserve Grand Champion recognition in the Plans Built category at AirVenture in 1996, followed by Grand Champion Experimental and Reserve Grand Champion Open Cockpit–Biplane awards at the 1997 Biplane Expo. In 1997 it also won Grand Champion in the Plans Built category at AirVenture. Makelan Corporation subsequently became associated with supplying kits for the Hatz Classic. The company is described as having a single product rather than a portfolio of aircraft models. This placed it within the specialist amateur-built-aircraft industry, serving individual builders who construct experimental aircraft from kits rather than airlines, military operators, or mainstream general-aviation fleets. The company reported five Hatz Classic kits sold and three completed, flying aircraft by 1998. A later count based on Federal Aviation Administration registrations identified twelve examples in the United States in September 2014. These records provide limited indicators of the design's circulation but do not provide a complete production history, because registration totals may not correspond directly to total kits sold or aircraft completed worldwide. The available account identifies J. W. (Jeff) Shoemake as owner and Sylvia Shoemake as manager. It does not establish when Makelan Corporation was founded, describe a change in ownership, or document a broader corporate group. It also does not provide verified current production figures, financial information, employee numbers, or evidence of international distribution. The company's public identity remains closely tied to the Hatz Classic kit and to the continuing use of the Hatz design family by amateur aircraft builders.

• 2014

  Twelve U.S.-registered examples documented

  [1]Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  In September 2014, twelve Hatz Classic examples were reported as registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.

• 1998

  Early kit-sales and completion figures reported

  [1]Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Makelan Corporation reported that five Hatz Classic kits had been sold and three aircraft had been completed and were flying.

• 1997

  Hatz Classic received multiple biplane awards

  [1]Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The aircraft won Grand Champion Experimental and Reserve Grand Champion Open Cockpit–Biplane honors at the 1997 Biplane Expo, as well as Grand Champion in the Plans Built category at AirVenture 1997.

• 1996

  Hatz Classic prototype first flew

  [1]Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Billy Dawson's Hatz Classic prototype completed its first flight. The aircraft later received Reserve Grand Champion recognition in the Plans Built category at AirVenture 1996.

• 1960

  Hatz CB-1 design established

  [1]Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  John Hatz designed the Hatz CB-1, the earlier aircraft design from which the later Hatz Classic was developed.

A specialist American supplier of kits for an improved, open-cockpit Hatz biplane intended for amateur construction and experimental aviation.

• Homebuilt aircraft kit · 1996

  Hatz Classic

  The Hatz Classic is an improved development of the Hatz CB-1, a biplane design created by John Hatz in the 1960s. Developed by Billy Dawson in the 1990s, the Classic added cockpit room while retaining the traditional open-cockpit biplane format. Makelan Corporation supplies kits for the design, which is intended for amateur construction in the experimental-aircraft community. The prototype first flew in 1996 and achieved several awards at AirVenture and the Biplane Expo.

1. 1Makelan Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hatz Classic official websitehatzclassic.com