Atol is a two-seat

kit Kit may refer to: Places *Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit * Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Kit Hill, Cornwall, England People * Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kit (surname) Animals * Young animals: ...

amphibious aircraft An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft (typically fixed-wing) that can take off and land on both solid ground and water, though amphibious helicopters do exist as well. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes ( flying boats ...

with a wood composite structure. It was to be built in ultralight and

light-sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

(LSA) versions. Atol aircraft were produced by the Finnish company Atol Avion. In April 2017 it was announced that the aircraft would be built for the North American market by Atol USA of Brunswick Landing, Maine. By 2022 the company website had been taken down and the domain was for sale.

Development

The Atol was designed by Markku Koivurova and produced by Martekno Ky and later Atol Avion Ltd. The development of Atol began in the 1970s, inspired by the American Osprey II. The first versions of the design used the Ken Rand KR structure. Atol's predecessors were larger and their structure recalled the traditional structure of a wooden aircraft. The first water taxi tests of the new LSA version, the Atol 650, were commenced in December 2014 on the Kemijoki River, Finland, on the Arctic Circle. This new version first flew on 9 April 2015. The 650 model was intended to be built in Maine, United States, with European deliveries initially forecast for late in 2018 and US deliveries starting in 2019. On 3 July 2018, the 650 LSA prototype, OH-XNA crashed and burnt, near Rovaniemi. By November 2022 the company website had been taken down and the domain was for sale. It is likely all development on the aircraft has ended. The proposed American manufacturer, Atol USA, was administratively dissolved on 13 August 2021.

Specifications (ATOL 495 LSA)

Notes

*Bodin, Jan: ''Perpetual Product Development - a Study of Small Technology-Driven Firms 2000'', p. 143-151, University of Umeå's print, Umeå Sweden, 2000. *Joensuu, Elina: ''Design in Finland 30 Years 1991'', p. 30, Hämee's bookprint Ltd, Häme Finland, 1991. ISSN 0418-7717

References

{{Reflist

External links

Atol Avion Ltd

Atol 450
at the Finnish Aviation Museum Amphibious aircraft