UNITED STATES
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Goddard Lift Kit Breathes Life into Pawnee by Bill Lavender
The Goddard Lift Kit, developed by Tucson-based Airborne Research, enhances the flight characteristics of the Pawnee with its slotted leading edge and aileron gap seal additions to the wings.
B 24 | agairupdate.com
TUCSON, AZ — What you are about to read, some will not believe. All I can do is assure you that it is true. I flew the two aircraft; a Piper Pawnee and a Piper Super Cub, allow me to tell you the story. Last year I was contacted by Airborne Research, owned and operated by Mike and Hal Goddard of Tucson, Arizona. I knew nothing of the company, but quickly learned Hal had developed a leading edge kit for the Pawnee and the Super Cub. The claims Airborne Research were making about the effects of the Goddard Lift Kit were nothing short of unbelievable. When Hal told me the Super Cub could make an approach to landing at 25 mph and stall at 15 mph, I had to restrain myself from calling him a “stretcher of the truth”. I needed to see and fly these aircraft and check out their abilities for myself. Thus, I made a trip to Arizona for a couple of evaluation flights. Hal Goddard formed Airborne Research in 1989
primarily for the development of several light aircraft add-on modifications he had designed. In 1995, Mike Goddard, Hal’s son, joined the company bringing his expertise in modifications, quality control, marketing and flight testing. Hal started his ag flying career during the 1960s flying with Tom Glover of Quality Aviation in Marana, Arizona. He also taught ag flying skills to pilots at the Ag Aviation Academy in Minden, Nevada. Hal’s colorful aviation career includes flying Helio Couriers across the North Atlantic, with travels in the Middle East, Far East, South America and Central America participating in the U.S. State Department’s drug eradication operations. One flying job earned Hal the first waiver to land zero-zero (prior to Category 1 & 2) with a Baron. This was no normal Baron. It was outfitted with a Transland spreader. The National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) had contracted with Hal to fly in these conditions spreading a hygroscopic material along the approach-to-land and down the runway. The object of the research was to see if the material would dissipate the fog and create a “tunnel” for other aircraft to use for landing! Airborne Research is the offshoot of an idea to clean up the airflow around the lift struts of various aircraft. From that research, came the Goddard Lift Kit for the Pawnee and Super Cub, a slotted, leading edge that redistributes the boundary layer to follow the full chord of the wing. The trailing edge of the cuff and the position on the leading edge of the wing are critical to the Kit’s performance. The Kit also comes with a gap seal kit for the ailerons and flaps. The Kit is ➤
