And they're not going for just any composite airplane, either-they took the " wildly unusual step " of building their own light sport. " The Saberwing is an all-composite, low wing twoseater and we're actually certifying the engine that's going in it...You will simply have a push-to-start engine with a single power lever...and it'll do everything you want your airplane to do while sipping mogas. " " The airframe is simple, we've engineered out a lot of the parts, most of the parts are just off the shelf replaceable rather than needing a specialized set of skills...that are on short supply on this island. Most of the A&Ps and mechanics here work for the big airlines and the ones that really know how to keep the old, certificated airplanes alive, they're retiring and they're very hard to come by, so the Saberwing I think is going to do that really well for us. " Jackson shows us videos on his phone of a recent engine test, and when he does, the light in his eyes is The control tower on Ford Island was under construction during the attack on Pearl Harbor and still stands tall after all these years; some attendees of an AOPA safety seminar gather in the hangar for a photo. 64 AOPA PILOT / August 2023