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The MICCO Story
MICCO Aircraft Company, Inc. and its product, the SP26A, began life as the New Meyers Aircraft Company back in 1994. Under the direction of James Billie (Chief Jim Billie as he is known), Chairman, the Seminole Tribe acquired the Type Certificate (TC) for the Meyers 145 design. This aircraft, of which there were only 20 built, had always had the reputation of being a strong aircraft with good flying qualities. It was the predecessor to the Meyers 200, four place design known as the ìBonanza killerî in its day. This acquisition was to carry forward a vision Chief Jim Billie had of bringing his Tribal people into view as a more modern group that could hold its own in the world of new technology ñ and what could be more demonstrative of that than to manufacture an aircraft.
In 1994 there was a group in Wichita, KS which was engaged to bring the aircraft, or a semblance of it, back into production. There was quite a bit of misdirection and a number of problems getting all this started and the decision was made in September of 1994 to put the project on hold until January 1995. James, along with several other Tribal officials, hired F. DeWitt Beckett as Project Manager and engaged The Guernsey Engineering Group as consultants to do part of the redesign. Beckett and the Guernsey Group worked on the project in Wichita until January of 1996. During this time the new factory location had been committed to in Fort Pierce, FL and construction was well underway to be occupied in June of 1996. Beckett had started assembling the design personnel and manufacturing personnel in Fort Pierce which saw many ex-Piper employees come on board with a strong knowledge of manufacturing techniques and skills necessary to make the new aircraft all it could be.
One of the first and primary persons who played a major role in bringing the aircraft company about in Fort Pierce was Jack Jansen. Jack had started with Cessna when he was 20 years old and had mastered the manufacturing techniques through his years at Cessna, Rockwell, Piper and his association with LoPresti and the Fury Project. His skill in planning the layout of the plant, the planning skills to take the drawings and reduce to work orders, set the new company on the right path. That planning is still used today. Jack also brought us in contact with Marion Dees, former Vice President of Engineering at Piper for some seventeen years, Marion had and has more formulas in this head than most text books. He holds DERís in most all of the disciplines, but was most helpful with structural issues. Marion was most appreciable of the strong structure on the 145 aircraft and once commented about the redesigned horizontal structure, ìIf they tell you they bent that thing in flight. Ask them what barn they flew through!î
The company added many colorful and knowledgeable people along the way and some of those who brought their talents to us were, Kenny Revels, Gene Stephens, Ray Howell, George Berry, Jack Vance (DAR), and others who really put it on the line to make this aircraft safe and desirable. As the company progressed, Gene Criss came on board as a consultant to enhance many facets, and acted through our certification as COO. Gene had been with Piper for a number of years and had risen to the upper ranks there only to be thwarted from having the top position in their reorganization after the bankruptcy. When he first met Beckett, he was COO at Commander Aircraft and later became President there. His coming back to his beloved Florida was most of the incentive to come and help at the then New Meyers Aircraft, but Gene is a workaholic and is determined to work a good 10 to 14 hours per day no matter what the project. Gene was instrumental in bringing the company a gentleman whom all loved and admired (and always will) Mr. Ward Evans. Ward had come up in aviation doing all the things that no one else would do, like test fly aircraft in his early days, and later he developed his skills in working with the FAA and its Certification arm, the ACO to help the company he was working for and the FAA. He is the only man anyone knew with a Certificate of Commendation from the FAA as a private citizen. It took all of these wonderful people to bring the Meyers 145 up to the MICCO SP26A and each are well remembered for their efforts.
From the outset the aircraft project had been beset by problems, with the first group of engineers not performing, and design problems with Guernsey, but Chief Jim Billie was determined to push forward with his vision of an Indian Owned Aircraft Manufacturing company. There was a time when it was part of the plan to build the 145 design and the Meyers 200 under the same roof. This would have given great expansion to the manufacturing employment base, and spread the product base to a broader demand market. As the case would have it, there arose numerous conflicts, adverse circumstances concerning production costs, royalty payments, and other sticky points. It was this event that relegated the company to not have an operational name for about four months. It was decided that a new name would be best. Chief Jim Billie, after much consternation, revealed the new name ñ MICCO Aircraft Company!
Well now that the company had a name, logo, direction, and purpose the certification of the 200 horse power version continued on course. After every test that could be imagined to meet the Part 23 certification level with the FAA, the MICCO SP20 was certified on January 4, 2000. Having been offered the TC previous to the end of 1999, Beckett had declined it until the first business day of 2000 ñ the first TC of the New Millennium.
Not being satisfied with the performance of the 200 horse power engine version of the aircraft, all engineering and direction turned toward a higher horse power version, the 260, to bring the aircraft up to the level that would make it prominent and desirable in the market. This was done as deliveries began on the SP20. The airframes were almost identical but certain structural accommodations had to be made for the horse power increase with a few welded tabs and one or two tubes changed. In ten months from the first certification, Tribal Members and Beckett were standing on the stage in Long Beach, CA being presented the TC for the MAC145-B (SP26) at the AOPA convention there by the FAA Administrator herself.
It was the intent to have the SP26 in aerobatic category by then too, but, as we discovered, a mass of inertia problem set us on a course of finding a solution aerodynamically, which gave way to moving the fuel inboard to solve the problem. This brings us to the point that the company had delivered through Serial Number 308 of the SP20ís, delivered through Serial Number 260011 of the SP26ís, had converted two of those to aerobatic status, and held twenty six orders in hand and all seemed well.
As a matter of fact all was not well in some corners. The Tribal Council suspended Chief Jim Billie in May of 2001 and seemed determined to divest itself of the aircraft company. Several offers were made to the Council to buy MICCO but there was no response from them. In April of 2002 with Aerobatic Category attained and orders in hand for the aircraft, the Tribes Operations Manager showed up without forewarning, with armed guards, took over the plant and fired all but a skeleton crew. This was a great surprise to everyone at MICCO when things seemed close to gaining a buyer and new financing ñ best laid plans. From that point Beckett set out to find a buyer or financing to restructure the company. It took almost five years, but the assets were finally sold to Aero Acquisitions, LLC in Blackwell, Oklahoma with the intent of Beckett to find the financing and build the new facility there. That plan was what brought Beckett and Chief James Billie together again as the two put together a financing program with the help of a Florida Bank and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to acquire the assets and operating capital. All was seemingly working toward that end when the Blackwell folks decided they could not finance the facility. That set Beckett and Billie on a course of prospecting for a facility which brought them to Bartlesville, Oklahoma ñ and was that the right thing to do!
Bartlesville had the facility ready to go, the incentive program was right, and the location at Frank Phillips Field was on the Osage Reservation which fit the program of an Indian Owned Company and the benefits that it would afford.
That brings us to today. Located in Hangars #7 and #5, MICCO has put in place all of the tooling and fixtures that are needed to assemble the aircraft, and has compiled a significant inventory of parts to ramp up production. As of January 2007 MICCO is working with the FAA to certify the inventory, we have scheduled the laser measurement of the fixtures, we are running a shortage list to fill in the parts we need to start the line, and we are looking at some small enhancements to the aircraft to accommodate some special use situations. MICCO is alive and well and working towards producing high quality aircraft that offers excellent cruise and comfort, and still provides aerobatic capability.