At Avon Lake Sheet Metal, our professional fabrication team tackled a unique and historic project involving the manufacturing of a piece known as the Kekic Plane. In the years after Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in the Spirit of St. Louis, local business owner Ted Kekic had a model of the plane created to display outside of his gas station on Lake Road. The original replica airplane was 10-feet-long, and was set on a pole. This plane subsequently became a popular local landmark. The original Kekic Plane went missing in the 1990’s, and has not been seen since.
Nick Zangas approached us about helping him rebuild the plane as part of his Eagle Scout project. We worked with him to make a faithful recreation based off of photographs of the original.
Features of the Kekic Plane
The materials used in the manufacture of this replica include 0.040 aluminum skins glued and screwed over plywood form. The dimensions of the Kekic Plane are 10’-2” nose-to-tail with a 5’-8” wing span.
Design Processes Used
Our fabrication team employed various specialties, including 3D model development, laser cutting, forming, and assembly. Dedicated manufacturing and fabrication services included the use of state-of-the-art equipment and tools. At Avon Lake Sheet Metal, we understand the challenges our customers face. Our team delivers comprehensive fabrication solutions. The work we performed to fabricate and manufacture the Kekic Plane demonstrates our capabilities.
As your trusted leader in metal fabrication solutions, not only do we deliver superb fabrication results, such as demonstrated with our work on the Kekic Plane project, but also onsite plant maintenance and installation capabilities. To learn how we can help you achieve your industrial fabrication and manufacturing requirements through our fabrication services, contact us today.