History of the Plane

 Jim learned to fly in 1962 and worked as a flight instructor for several years at the Colorado Springs Airport. He also towed the gliders and hauled the skydivers at the Air Force Academy.  He was always interested in aerobatics but didn’t have an airplane that was capable, so he decided to build one.  He started construction of the Skybolt, that you see on the website, in the early 1970’s and flew the airplane the first time on September 21, 2001.  The plane, which was built from scratch, took an extensive 30 years to build.  During that 30 year period, Jim also built a 3800 sq. ft. house and started his own company called JD Steward Air Conditioning, Inc in 1979.  The airplane has been a big part of Jim’s life for a long time, and the pleasure, experienced during the construction of the plane, is surely missed. Jim’s son, Mark Steward, was very instrumental in the completion of the project, in that he installed the fabric covering on the plane.  He also painted it, along with many other smaller parts of the plane.

 Jim and Mark flew the Skybolt to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2002, and they won the outstanding workmanship award for scratch built airplanes that year.  The plane has been back to Oshkosh once since then and is always a show stopper.

 After starting HVAC Solutions in 2003, Jim was looking for a new icon for the new business.  He thought that the plane, which was such a big part of his life, would make a good icon.  He felt it would set the company apart form other HVAC companies.

 Today Jim flies the Skybolt every chance he gets, but he has to divide his time with Mark, who is flying the airplane in aerobatic competition to this day.