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Thatcher Light Aircraft

Home of the CX-4 single seater, CX-5 tandem 2-seater
and now the CX-7 side-by-side 2-seater

If you’re even thinking about building your own aircraft you need to consider a Dave Thatcher design! Every aspect of Dave’s designs is aimed at the novice self-builder on a budget! Keeping things simple, minimizing waste materials and using basic tools has allowed builders to complete Thatcher models for

under $20K INCLUDING ENGINE!

The Thatcher aircraft are “scratch built” all metal Experimental LSA Category aircraft designed by David Thatcher of Pensacola, Florida. Retired from a long career in the aircraft industry, Dave set about designing the plane he wanted to fly. It had to look good, fly well and be easy to self-build. The result was the CX4 which he flew to Oshkosh.

Since then several things have happened. Many builders, in multiple countries around the world have built and flown CX4s, and Dave has expanded on the original single-seat design to add first a tandem and now side-by-side two-seat versions. See more here …

Thatcher CX4

Thatcher CX-4

Single seat 125mph personal aircraft

Thatcher CX5

Thatcher CX-5

Tandem 2-seater lets you bring along a passenger. Dual controls let you both fly

Thatcher CX7

Thatcher CX-7

The latest 2-seater version side-by-side, so your passenger doesn’t have to look at the back of your head!

Specifications

See a side-by-side comparison of the three Thatcher designs. The original CX-4 can be built as a tail-wheel conventional gear aircraft or with a tricycle. The -5 and -7 are drawn only as tri-cycles.

“I fly out over the beach here in Pensacola and look down at the people and wonder if they have any idea how happy this 75 year old man is to be up here in his airplane that he made himself.”

David Thatcher

“I got involved with Thatcher Aircraft years ago because David Thatcher is such a great guy.  In my ten years with the company I have found his designs easy to build and very straightforward to fly.”

Glen bradley