AirMaster's Young Engineers Return to IMTS, Still Building on a Passion for Manufacturing

A garage-built debut

Sometimes the best manufacturing stories start in a garage. An executive from Haimer shared photos — with permission to post them — of a summer project undertaken by his twin children and two neighbor boys. The four youngsters spent the summer building an airplane, founding their own company, AirMaster, and rolling out their first aircraft: the Optima 621.

"My two youngest children (twins) have been working all summer with two neighbor boys on building an airplane in my garage. They called their company 'AirMaster' and their first plane is the 'Optima 621.'"

"This past weekend, I told them I wanted my garage space back now that the summer is over, and I pulled it out for a 'test flight.'"

That's when he noticed something familiar tucked into the project: copies of Aerospace Manufacturing and Design.

"The kids told me they were using the magazines as a guide on how to build an airplane (they gave me specific examples of things they had learned)."

A new competitor?

The young engineers had confidence to match their ambition.

"They said that 'Boeing and Airbus will probably be scared that they have a new competitor in AirMaster.'"

Boeing and Airbus likely aren't losing sleep — but the story has a satisfying epilogue. For an industry perennially concerned about attracting the next generation of talent, that's the kind of outcome worth smiling about.

Elsewhere in aerospace and manufacturing

The wider industry news this week underscored why that passion matters:

• A Gulfstream jet will join NOAA's hurricane hunter fleet.
• Boeing: will continue its legacy of A-10 Thunderbolt II sustainment.
• One-component polysiloxane technology: is being used to eliminate harmful isocyanates and other hazardous air-polluting chemicals.
• Pratt & Whitney: delivered the first GTF Advantage-powered jet to United Airlines.
• Collins Aerospace: was presented with the ZOLLER Toolroom of the Year Award.
• VOLLME: of America celebrates an anniversary of precision, innovation, and people.
• SpaceX: put Starship in orbit.
• BETA: launched a North Carolina eVTOL integration pilot program.
• Moog: completed an ISO Class 8 clean room.
• Turkish Airlines: finalized an order for up to 150 Boeing 737 MAX jets.
• Electra: completed helicopter-like flights at a commercial airport.
• National Manufacturing Day includes "3D Printing for Drones" student experiences planned in 5 states.