Ken Brock Manufacturing

Ken Brock Manufacturing, Inc.
Privately held company
Industry Aerospace
Fate Out of business
Founded 1960s
Founder Ken Brock
Defunct late 2005
Headquarters Stanton, California, United States
Products Kit aircraft, autogyros
Subsidiaries Santa Ana Metal Stamping
Ken Brock flying a Brock KB-2 in August 2001
Brock KB-3

Ken Brock Manufacturing, Inc. was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by Ken Brock in the 1960s and based in Stanton, California. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of autogyros in the form of kits for amateur construction, including under the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules.[1][2][3]

Ken Brock Manufacturing produced a number of aircraft designs including the Brock KB-1, Brock KB-2 and Brock KB-3 autogyros, plus the Ken Hovey-engineered Brock Avion ultralight aircraft. The company was also noted for the high-quality aircraft parts that it produced for other designer's aircraft, especially the Rutan Long-EZ and the Cozy Mark IV.[1][2][3][4]

The company occupied a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) plant that included lathes, milling machines, drill presses, tap and die making, equipment for heat treating metal, plating and welding.[5]

A subsidiary was Santa Ana Metal Stamping, which Brock set up to produce stamped metal parts using numerical control machinery.[6]

The company was wound up at the end of 2005 after Brock's death on 19 October 2001 while taxiing a Thorp T-18. After his death, Brock's widow, Marie Brock, who survived the 2001 accident, attempted to sell the business and parts on hand. Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co purchased the Cozy Mark IV parts inventory, jigs, tooling and drawings.[4]

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Ken Brock Manufacturing
Model name First flight Number built Type
Brock KB-1 single seat autogyro
Brock KB-2 1970 more than 300 (2005) single seat autogyro
Brock KB-3 1985 200 (2005) single seat autogyro
Brock Avion single seat ultralight aircraft

References

  1. 1 2 Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, pages E-3 and F-3. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-9680628-1-4
  2. 1 2 Downey, Julia: 2005 Trikes 'Chutes and Rotorcraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 22, Number 2, February 2005, page 57. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  3. 1 2 exp-aircraft.com. "Ken Brock Manufacturing, Inc.". Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Ken Brock Manufacturing Closed". Aero News Network. 31 January 2006. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Brock, Ken. "Manufacturing Facilities". Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Brock, Ken. "Santa Ana Metal Stamping". Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
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