By JOSH HICKLE
MINFORD

Aviation history is being recreated at the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport.

Waco Aircraft Company, Ohio Inc. located in Hanger 5 at the airport, builds reproductions of 1930's era Waco biplanes. The name Waco is derived from the Weaver Aircraft Company, Ohio.

According to company Vice-President John Kennard, the planes are reminiscent of "barnstorming" planes of the era.

"We are building the Waco kit," he said. "It is the full-size Waco aircraft. It is fun to fly. It's a vintage aircraft, and it kind of built aviation. It was first built in Troy, Ohio."

The Waco Company has been in business since June 2001. It grew out of conversations between Kennard and company President Mike Fisher, who according to Kennard, has numerous aircrafts flying in over 30 countries.

Fisher and Kennard retired from their jobs, and discussed starting the company.

"We both fly, and have flown for years," Kennard said. "We thought there would be a niche for the Waco aircraft. We decided we would go into business."

The airplanes are sold as kits. Raw material is received to start fashioning the shape.

"We take the raw material, and build the wings and fuselage. Everything is welded and ready to be bolted together," Kennard said. "The kit sells for around $100,000 without the engine. The engines will run, depending on what you want in instruments, from $18,000 to $20,000."

The planes use two types of engines, a 220-horsepower Continental or a 275-horsepower Jacobs. The difference between the two, Kennard said, is horsepower and cruising speed. The Waco aircraft can seat two people in the front of the plane with the pilot in the back.

So far, there have been no buyers for the vintage airplanes, but the company is now starting to advertise.

"We haven't sold anything, yet, in that we haven't really been ready," Kennard said. We do have a lot of activity--people coming and looking at it. We're getting calls from New Hampshire and all of the New England states. There's also a lot of interest being shown locally in and around Ohio."

The reason for the delay was due to not having a kit around to build. Also, work had to be done on the hangar to make part of it a showroom for their completed plane.

"We didn't want to go out on the market and have somebody say, 'Yes, I want one' and didn't have anything to give them for six months," Kennard said. "Now, we do have a kit ready, and we'll be finishing the second demonstrator about the same time." Once the second plane is finished, Kennard said they will be traveling to OshKosh, Wisconsin for what he describes as the biggest air show in the world. While there, they will be giving demonstrations of their product.

Work on the kits is continuing, as Kennard hopes the number of planes increase.

"We're hoping to have three through the reminder of this year," he said. "Next year, we're hoping to get at least five, and work our way up to 10."

There are currently four people working on putting the planes together at the Minford site, and each plane usually takes over 600 hours of labor to finish. Metal and aluminum is fabricated to provide the outline of the plane, with metal bars providing a skeleton to the plane. They also install explosion-proof fuselages into every plane.

Kennard said the Waco style was chosen to focus on one design aspect.

"This is the only thing we are going to build," he said. "We wanted something we felt we could perfect and do the best job we could, and let's just stick with the one."

Most people who have seen the aircraft on display are intrigued by what they see, according to Kennard.

"They can't believe it when they walk in and see it," he said.