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PRESS RELEASES |
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December 1, 2002Thank you for visiting the Berkut Engineering web site. We wanted to provide an update since it has been over a year since we announced the cessation of kit production. In some ways, not much has changed and in others it has dramatically. Berkut Engineering and the Berkut aircraft tooling have not yet been sold as of this date. We were initially hopeful that we had a buyer for the company and/or tooling but this has yet to happen, though there is still interest in purchasing the company. We currently do not have plans to bring the aircraft back into production. One common question we receive on a weekly basis is “Can Berkut be built from plans?” The answer is no, it cannot. The plans we advertise are assembly drawings and not conventional plans from which the aircraft can be built. With over 100 molded parts in the airplane, it would be impossible to build without the kit. Dave and Berkut are branching out into the architectural composites field and are in the process of manufacturing the tooling for a very large, all-composite roof and subsequently manufacturing the roof itself. He is also manufacturing composite camera fairings for a business jet. In what little spare time remains, he is building himself a Berkut, something he has never had since the inception of the design over 10 years ago. Vicki is still overseeing the business and operations portion of Berkut Engineering but at a limited capacity due to making the US Aerobatic Team this year. We again thank you for your support and interest in Berkut. As always if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our best to you all,
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September 26, 2001It is with much sadness that Dave and I announce the cessation of Berkut kit production at Berkut Engineering Inc. (BEI). Since acquiring the company in February, we have attempted to get the company on its feet again. While we feel we’ve put forth a great deal of effort toward this goal, we were unable to achieve the kit sales necessary to continue production. We realize the Berkut is a very high performance aircraft, with low volume production and aimed at a limited market. This is a difficult equation to balance, especially since we have always been unwilling to compromise performance or safety to make the kits cheaper. We do not wish to use any more personal funds to support the Berkut. Therefore the only option available at this time is to cease production. We are not filing for bankruptcy, are carrying no debt with the exception of our own, and will owe no parts to anyone. There is certainly hope that someone may wish to purchase the tooling and continue to produce the Berkut but we have no leads at this time. BEI will continue to provide a wide range of composite capabilities including tooling, composite design and fabrication, and production. Berkut Engineering will fulfill all requests by our builders for parts and materials that we either manufacture or distribute. We have added a comprehensive list of parts and suppliers to the web site so builders can order what they need directly from the manufacturer where available. It is our intent to make sure our builders have everything they need to complete their projects. Builder support will continue to be made available through Dave and the web site. We have no intention of shutting down the web site as it is a valuable resource for information. We will use the web site for updates on the status of Berkut should any changes arise. Thank you very much for your interest in Berkut. Dave and I wish you all the very best.
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MARCH 1, 2001- Berkut Engineering, Inc is proud to announce the acquisition of the tooling from Renaissance Composites for the production of an improved Berkut aircraft.Company principals, Berkut designer
Dave Ronneberg and Vicki Cruse, have introduced additional molded |
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SEPTEMBER 1999, RENO!!
Completed at the company's Santa Monica facilities, "Number 51" not only qualified and competed, but placed second in the Sport Class Silver Finals, posting a speed of 261.702 mph in the final Silver Heat. Powered by a 308-horsepower normally-aspirated Textron Lycoming IO-540 engine turning a LightSpeed Engineering 103" pitch propeller, each time the aircraft took the course, the speed was higher than the time before. This was due as much to the speed and handling qualities of the Berkut as it as to the skill of the pilot, Berkut designer Dave Ronneberg. "My initial qualifying speed was around 252 mph," said newly-minted race pilot Ronneberg. "Each time I got out on the course the speeds just got a little bit quicker as I got used to the course, as well as to flying with the other competitors." Interestingly, Ronneberg was able to draw on skills acquired during those years as a competitive skier to determine his through through the turns. "As we expected, the Berkut is capable of holding a line through the turns far more precisely than a "conventional" aircraft can. There is virtually no slip evident in the tight turns required at Reno in this aircraft. I found that I could pick any line I wanted to and the Berkut flew through it with absolute precision. It was some of the most demanding and at the same time rewarding flying I have ever done in my life."
In point of fact, the Berkut's excellent visibility proved to be a significant advantage as early as the first lap of the Silver heat race. While coming "down the hill" sprinting for the first turn, Ronneberg backed off the throttle a bit. Having backed off the throttle, Ronnebger brought the Berkut in behind the pack as they rounded the first pylon and leveled out for the dash down the two mile back straight. Then, easing in a bit more throttle, the Berkut began to close on Jeff Wernli's Glasair III, eventually taking up station at Wernli's high 3 o'clock' position as the two aircraft rounded the second pylon. In short order the Berkut slid by the Glasair and sighted in on the next aircraft (also a Glasair III) Earl Hibler's beautiful "Baby Doll." By the end of the second lap, Ronneberg and the Berkut had passed both Hibler's as well as David Cronin's Glasairs, in the process moving into fourth place behind Charlie Bangert's Swearingen SX-300, which by then was showing signs of engine problems. The next lap saw Bangert taking a high line as his engine began to seriously fade, and Ronneberg made the pass on him down the grandstand straight, after which the Berkut caught up to and passed William Billups' Glasair III, as well. With the Berkut now in third place, what ensued next was the real reason everyone comes to Reno: Two aircraft, side by side, flat out racing for the remaining laps. Ronneberg and Arnie Luters in his Glasair III "Pegasus" stayed virtually bonded together until the beginning of the last lap when the Berkut went high and outside Luters' Glasair III on the back straight to take second place. From there it was a shallow dive to the finish line and a second place finish behind Dan Wright's gorgeous Swearingen SX-300 "Sleek Cindy." While the remaining two heats, including the Silver Finals, were by no means anticlimactic, little could match the excitement of seeing an aircraft that we had built screaming around the pylons for the first time. In all, it was an unbelievable experience, one that we thought, many times, would not come to pass as hurdle after hurdle presented itself to be overcome. With the help of many friends and supporters, though WE DID IT!
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