PERFORMANCE/SPECS                       HI-RES PHOTOS  

Thank you for your continued interest in the Mermaid.
It's been a long road to production, like most, we were overly optimistic of our abilities when we first came to market.  During the last two years we have refined the Mermaid with considerable flight testing, researched engine installations, countless hours of water work and structural analysis. It's also given us the opportunity to produce all of our jigs and production procedures to bring this to the point of realistic production. We have one of the most experienced crews dedicated to Mermaid production for the last three years. Our workers are proud of the product that they produce and are quite excited to see the Mermaid finally in production.

The real question is when can we actually start delivering. Initially we will start by delivering the partially completed Mermaids that were produced and are currently being finished in the USA. These aircraft are now available for purchase. I'll give a priority to the Mermaid customers that initially put down their $500 or $100 deposit.

The next Mermaids available will start to come out of our new facility during the first quarter of 2009. These aircraft already have major components completed and should be shipped to the U.S.A. without delay.

Our new price structure:
I think it's appropriate that I explain a little bit of the history of the
pricing structure.  When we first came to market, in retrospect it was unrealistic not only to take deposits but to quote any prices. There probably was a possibility of producing the Mermaid at these lower prices but the profit margin would have been minimal.  Over the years of development our base price slowly increased and again it still was not realistic. The Mermaid is a complex, very sophisticated construction type of flying boat, we use almost entirely solid rivets, epoxy coating internally, and standard building practices similar to GA aircraft. It's not fair to compare the Mermaid against ultralight type of flying boats, we're just not in that class.

Additionally, during this time frame there were many factors that increased the cost of the aircraft. Czech Aircraft Works (CZAW) moved from a small manufacturing facility to a gigantic Cold War era manufacturing plant. We took on an investment partner (Slavia Capital) which turned out to be one of the worst decisions possible. (read more about this unscrupulous investment management group). Our overhead skyrocketed while at the same time the dollar weakened so substantially that it's now almost too expensive for us to buy beer in the Czech Republic.

So the bottom line is that the current pricing structure represents the shortfalls of the past and the weak currency exchange. We still think the Mermaid is an excellent value and it is the only proven LSA flying boat in production. Of course there are others that have recently come to the market with exceptional claims and unrealistic pricing (does it sound familiar?). I won't get into that subject but without years of testing behind the design you're buying just a dream. The Mermaid is proven, has exceptional water handling characteristics and we feel comfortable that it's the best choice in the market. 



Danny