Richard Noble, the world 1983
land speed record holder and UK entrepreneur, identified a gap in the market for a low-cost lightweight two-seat trainer, after expensive product-liability lawsuits in the USA had driven the major American
general aviation manufacturers temporarily to abandon production of such aircraft. Noble established a factory at
Sandown on the
Isle of Wight to build the ARV Super2 aircraft, with the first prototype flying on 11 March 1985. making the Super2 both cheaper to buy and to operate. The manufacturer claimed it could reduce pilot training costs by 25% The wing is
swept forward 5° to maintain correct
centre of gravity balance. The cockpit is a stiff
monocoque of "Supral" alloy for lightness and improved crash protection. Aft of the cockpit bulkhead, the ARV is conventionally built, with frames, longerons and a
stressed skin forming a
semi-monocoque. Skin sections are both glued and riveted. The aircraft has twin control sticks. Ailerons, elevators and flaps are pushrod-controlled, but the rudder and trim are cable-linked. Both rudder and elevator are
horn-balanced. The rudder pedals also control a steerable nosewheel, but the hand-operated
disc brakes are not differential and do not contribute to steering. was specially developed for the ARV by
Hewland from their existing two-cylinder
microlight engine. The AE75 engine has a
TBO of only 800 hours, and, in the absence of continuing factory support, many ARVs have had their AE75s replaced with engines such as the
Rotax 912, the
Rotax 914, or the
Jabiru 2200. Three ARVs were fitted with a
MidWest twin-rotor
wankel as their original engine. The Super2 gained
airworthiness certification in July 1986, Originally, ARVs were available either as kit-built aircraft (subject to
PFA Permit), or factory built (and subject to the
CAA Certificate of Airworthiness). In the spring of 1990 Aviation Scotland Limited was to restart production and in 1993 that company intended to set up another facility in
Sweden to build ARVs. In the late 1990s the aircraft was sold in kit form in the US as the Highlander by Highlander Aircraft Corporation of
Golden Valley, Minnesota. Opus Aircraft upgraded some specifications for the aircraft, increasing the
Vne to and increasing the gross weight to . The company intended to equip the aircraft with the
Rotax 912UL or 912A of .
Production history The ARV Super2 has had an interrupted production history, with a number of successive companies producing 40 aircraft in total. Shortly after initial aircraft deliveries began, there were a number of forced landings. These were due to gearbox failures induced by propeller vibration, and in November 1987 the
CAA grounded the aircraft. Although these problems were quickly resolved, the aircraft's reputation suffered. Buyers and investors lost confidence, leading to the closure of the Isle of Wight factory and the company was forced into
administration. This resulted in a
management buyout and the company being renamed
Island Aircraft. Some 30 or so aircraft were completed by ARV and then by Island Aircraft at Sandown. Production was then transferred first to Scotland and then to Sweden, where the ARV was renamed the "Opus 280", However, no aircraft were produced in Sweden before the proprietors went bankrupt in 1995. After yet another unsuccessful attempt to restart production in
Ohio,
USA, all manufacturing rights (plus a selection of aircraft parts) were sold to a new consortium, "Opus Aircraft". Opus Aircraft established a factory at Rockingham, near
Stoneville, North Carolina, and in February 2008, the "Opus Super 2" was granted FAA
Light Sport Aircraft approval. ==Operational history==