Questair 3.0 is Bringing Venture Back

July 27, 2017 - Thirty years after its introduction, Questair Venture kits are available for purchase by prospective homebuilders thanks to Dan Myers, EAA 325788, and Jim Cook, 172445, partners in Questair LLC. The new Questair 3.0 was formed in 2015 to produce and sell the distinctive Venture kits once again.

The new fast-build kits are not available just yet, but Dan expects they will be for sale between 18 and 24 months from now.

The new Venture kits should take just 12 months to complete, a quick process compared to the average homebuild, and an extremely quick one compared to original Questair Venture kits, which took somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 hours to finish.

Although the Venture looks a bit unusual, or as Jim said when he first saw one two decades ago, “The ugliest airplane I’ve ever seen in my life,” the model is about function over form, delivering high speeds and range. Originally designed by Jim Griswold and Ed MacDonough, formerly of Piper Aircraft, the Venture had some old problems, including the inability to brake and steer simultaneously, which a mod kit sold by Questair 3.0 seeks to fix.

The mod kit costs $100 and is one of a few services the company provides or has plans to provide. Other plans include the sale of a limited number of Ventures currently at the Questair hangar in Mississippi, sales of some original Venture kits, and both demo flights and transition training in Questair Venture and Spirit aircraft, which should be available in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the second quarter of 2018, respectively.

To support existing Venture owners, Questair 3.0 also plans to offer Venture maintenance and inspections later on this year.

Ventures may fly unlike many other homebuilt aircraft, but Jim said the fun and speed of the model makes them a personal favorite of his to fly.

“You need to fly it like a jet, not like an RV, not like a Lancair,” Jim said. “Think like a jet.”