G.A.D Is Born

Humble beginings : Back in 1998, Dr Mike Black was building and flying 'Normal' aircraft....balsa frames and Iccy (I.C) engines up front, after getting the usual beration from his then partner about the smell of fuel, dope, glue etc..he wondered if there was another way? after playing with foam  for a bit, at that time EPS and heavy XPS (Dow Blueclor) was the only materials really readily available...

Anyway, a friend suggested that why not make foam models with electric motors, this was met with hilarity, after Mike collected himself together and regained some dignity, did some research, found that this was more than doable, given that his love was for small jets, anyway with the electric technology available at that time (the mighty speed 400 had just come onto the market), small jets with pusher motors was looking good. Bearing in mind that we were using Ni-cad cells, these things were still very heavy, Mike had some limited success with a carved XPS F-15.

This really lit a fire under what is now called Green Air Designs....Mikes partner at that time use to use a product called Foamboard....for mounting pictures etc...in the middle of foamboard was as we know it now DEPRON...well Mike reallised that sheets of this new fangled material was the answer, however, big problem......you couldn't buy depron, so he used to buy this Foamboard in, by the box and leave it in his partners water tank (garden water) over night and in the morning peel off all the board....leaving only the foam..... Well another F-15 was built by hand and  WOW, this thing really flew with a sp400.(As well as any sp400 with some AR-500 Ni-cads up front ever did)

So the mission then was to source Foamboardless Foamboard, a manufacturer was found in Belgium, but He had to order 1/2 ton of it.....so given no choice did so....This was the real breaker, now the dream of GAD was forming, as poeple were asking Mike to make F-15`s like they were going out of fashion, but this was all done by hand....very slow and labour intensive. Mike and his friend decide that they would make thier own CNC equipment, as buying it built at that stage was just out of the question. So offering up the family PC and connecting it to this now home built CNC wire cutter, IT WORKED!!!!! After a while of mucking with the software found that as opposed to just creating wings with this cutter, Depron could be cut, and in multiples....

Work started on the CNC router also.....as making wooden parts was almost impossible at that time.This was completed and soon was in regular use...

At that time Mike was working as a Bodywork/Sprayer/Painter, and had been expressing that this line of work had come to the end of the line and wanted to continue with his love and not just make money for his partner, as Mike walked out of the spay booth one day a friend was taking the mick out of the fact that he had painted his hair green........(you can see where this is going!) Pete said, you should call your new model making business 'Green Hair', well the result of that was Green as in battery powered, air as in flying (NOT the hair) and designs is self evident....

Green Air Designs is born.....

Mike decided that maybe the world should know about this and try to get trade up for this manufacturing invention...

The FIRST retail depron Model was made commercially available in Feb of 2000, The GAD F-15E Eagle, speed400 8 AR500`s (now available) and the model worked very well and from 2000-2007 when the design changed to the F-15C Gen II kits this model alone sold 4293 units. GAD Hit the forums trying to tout this new idea to the masses.....People like Steve Shumate and MANY MANY others have copied and followed on with the GAD idea of Depron Jets & warbirds, Now they are called PARK JETS, but the heritage started here with some simple ideas and the newly availablity of DEPRON

2000-2004 Generation 1 models were popular, F-15`s, F-18`s, SU-27`s, Spitfire & Fw-190, Even the FIRST ever F-14 Swing wing was released, Made all the mags in 2004, and everyone wanted one!!!! 

Generation - 2

2005 Heralded another era for GAD, when by chance Mike happened across a small laser tube 11w, just about small enough to mount (heath robinson style) to the router turret, so work commenced, jury-rigged it into place, made a board up to control the laser, powered it up and again it WORKED.....did some test runs and found thet the quality of cut was second to none....

Generation 2 is born.

So now GAD has laser cut balsa parts and CNC cut Depron, superb aircraft like the Avro Lancaster, Avro Vulcan, DH-98 Mosquito came to pass...

During late 2004 some big problems hit Mike and GAD had to go quiet, due to an unfaithfull partner, lost his home and family, this ushered a new determination to get his life back in order. Now working as a Courier to boost GAD`s income, got involved with a Military/Government project that took Mike away from GAD full time, but in the background was designing new models, and keeping the idea alive, that one day when when this project was over he could return home and carry on with GAD, and boy did he. Over the time working away, he saved hard to buy a 'NEW' Laser cutter, after the home built attempt was great but no good for large volumes.  Half way through his term with the government, GAD`s NEW laser cutter was ordered and delivered in good time, when this was set up, and GEN-2 was truly born!!!!, the world became GAD`s Lobster (so to speak), with this GAD went on to buy another company out right, 'REPLIKIT'tm, this then brought a whole new life to Replikit and GAD, as all thier kits were print wood, with this new cutter, REPLIKIT became Laser cut kits, they were very popular in 2005 and still sell in great numbers today.

With the addition of Replikit to the company Mike decided that GAD was getting too big for just him, so a limited company was set up, Green Air Design Holdings Ltd, which is now GAD Holdings Ltd Group, as GADHL owns many smaller companies and brand names now.

2007 Saw the introduction of a load of new models, like the Hawker Hunter, F-104G Starfighter, Bae Hawk, all using Gen-2 tech, Laser cut depron/wood and CNC cut wings. During this time Mike met his now wife, but could not get married until his term serving with the government was over, so March 24th 2007 He got married, with a new force behind Mike GAD went from strength to strength, designing new models, re-designing older ones to bring them up to date.

2008 saw the introduction of the B-17G, F-14A, re-design of the Lancaster, F-104g EDF, Replikit brought a new face to the company in the form of Leo Smith, a very eccentric and clever man, with a superb skill for designing and back office systems, he dragged GADHL kicking and screaming into the 21st century with new efficient manufacturing, stock control system and bringing a breath of fresh air to Replikit, as some of you may know him as 'Vintage1' on RC Groups, the Modern classics range of models wes born. Old designs, like the southener 60 were completely re-designed so that the look stayed the same but the whole construction was tab and slot, with the option of fitting radio....Many kits have followed

2009 - Generation - 3 Entered service

Early 2009 Mike started work on a new way of producing models so that the build time could be reduced, GEN-3 With the addition of another machine, Mike worked out that it was possible to make fully scale fuselages and wings using CNC design, that meant that the customer can get from box to air in much less time. After prototyping a number of complex shapes, the NEW F-6 Lightning EDF was born, with its sleek lines, EDF power system, and SIMPLE construction, this was looking to be a best seller. The iconic F-6 has been and still is the best sell of mid-late 09' due to it simplicity and ease of flilght characteristics, larger format, and readilly available source of power systems.

This bred all the new Gen-3 technology, with the MiG-21, Canberrra, Super Mystere, F-100D Super Sabre and upcoming Panavia tornado GR-4 Tornado.

GADHL has also become a huge force in OEM work, manufacturing for alot of smaller designers and some really big ones, chances are if its UK and its laser cut.....its probably GAD.

Mike is now in the process of opening a new company under GADHL : EasyUAV.com & EasyFPV.com for all you FPV`ers and amature UAV makers, bearing in mind that Mike has a long history with government projects in the UAV field, this is a natural progression.

2010 Looks good with all these new models and due to the demand for production, GADHL is now forced to find larger premises, so as of Jan 1 10' Green Air Design Holdings Ltd Group will be moving to:

The Old Cowhouse

Sparham Hall

Sparham

Norwich

G.A.D Members:

Dr Mike Black (Doc) - Managing Director (Owner) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Audrey Black (Audz) - Secretary & Show Co-ordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Leo Smith -  Director (Support & Designer for Replikit) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tony Barrington-Collins - Packing/Dispatch Manager

Michael W (Hack)  - Manufacturing Manager This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gary Painter (Gazza) - Media Director This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marie G (M) - P.A & Admin This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Micheal Sheldrake - R&D & Pilot This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ricky Holmes - R&D/Chief Display Pilot This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nick Kemp - Chief mincer...erm.....lol... Show Pilot (Sorry Nick couldnt help my self)

James Goff - Cameraman

Company Shareholders (4) 

Kirsty B - Show Rep

So.....this is the story so far, of how GAD became and now is.......10 years of GAD, young, enthusiastic, descerning, innovative - Green Air Design Holdings Ltd Group
Read More