Lake Aircraft was a manufacturer of amphibious aircraft

Amphibious aircraft

An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...

. Their factory was in Sanford, Maine

Sanford, Maine

Sanford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,798 in the 2010 census, the highest of the York County towns, and the 8th largest in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale...

, USA, and their sales offices were located at Laconia

Laconia, New Hampshire

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.3 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile...

 / Gilford, New Hampshire

Gilford, New Hampshire

Gilford is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census. Situated on Lake Winnipesaukee, Gilford is home to Governors Island, Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap Mountain State Forest, Gunstock Mountain Ski Resort, and Meadowbrook U.S...

 and Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee, Florida

Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...

.

The assets of the company were sold in 2004 to an investor who incorporated as "Sun Lake Aircraft" in Vero Beach, Florida

Vero Beach, Florida

Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...

.

The assets are now owned by Revo Inc, owned by Armand Rivard.

History

The first plane produced was the Colonial Skimmer. It was derived from an original design produced by Dave Thurston in 1946 when he was with Grumman Aircraft. Grumman never produced the design, but Thurston formed Colonial Aircraft as a side business to continue development.

Colonial's first amphibious aircraft, designated the "Colonial Aircraft C-1 Skimmer" and based on the original Grumman G-65 Tadpole design, first flew in 1948. Colonial grew to produce almost 50 of the C-1 and larger C-2 design before being sold in 1959.

The new owner, M.L. (Al) Alson, renamed the company Lake Aircraft and enlarged the basic design again into the LA-4, a 180-horsepower, 4-seat aircraft, which was the basis for the entire line of aircraft that continues today.

Lake aircraft produced in the 1960 - 1980 range are listed by the FAA as having been built by "Consolidated Aeronautics."

For many years the Lake LA-4-200 was advertised as "The world's only single-engine production amphibian."

In January 2009 company owner Armand Rivard indicated that he intends to sell the company and retire. The company had previously been offered for sale in 2001, 2002, via auction in 2005 and in 2007. Lake Aircraft produced one aircraft in 2007 and none in 2008, but continues to make parts for existing aircraft. In 2009 the company employed six people, down from the 200 employees that it had in the 1980s.

EVOLUTION OF LAKE AMPHIBIAN Aircraft

YEARS PRODUCED	MODEL	seats	HORSEPOWER	MAX CRUISE Speed	PAYLOAD W/MAIN FUEL FULL
1948–1959	C1 and C2	2	150-180	90 mph	340 lb payload
1960–1969	LAKE LA-4 Lake Buccaneer |-See also:-External links:...	4	180	110 mph	440 lb
1970–1982	LAKE LA4-200 Lake Buccaneer |-See also:-External links:...	4	200	105 knots	500 lb
1982–1985	LAKE LA4-200 EP Lake Buccaneer |-See also:-External links:...	4	200	110 knots	550 lb
1984–1995	LAKE LA-250 Lake Renegade -External links:...	6	250	132 knots	800 lb
1987–2005	LAKE LA-270T Lake Renegade -External links:...	6	270	155 knots	720 lb
2006	SEAFURY Lake Renegade -External links:...		250 & 270

External links