Aircam

Lockwood Aircam
Role	Kit aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockwood Aircraft
Designer	Phil Lockwood
First flight	1995
Introduction	1995
Status	In production
Produced	1995-present
Number built	160 (2011)
Unit cost	US$99,985 (excluding instruments and paint, 2011)
Developed from	Lockwood Drifter

The Lockwood Aircam (also called the Air Cam and AirCam) is a high-wing, twin engine pusher configuration aircraft with conventional landing gear, based on the single engine Lockwood Drifter and sold in kit form by Lockwood Aircraft. The open-cockpit aircraft seats two in tandem. 125 Aircam kits had been sold by 2007. In 2011, a complete kit, less instruments, paint, shipping and crating was priced at US$99,985.

The first prototype Aircam was built in 1995. Designed by Phil Lockwood, founder of Lockwood Aircraft, it was built for the National Geographic Society for research and photography in the Ndoki Rain Forest in the northern Congo Basin. It was built to fly low and slow and to provide a wide, unobstructed view, with the additional security of a second engine. The design has since been improved while retaining the same layout.

The initial version, produced by Leza-Lockwood Corporation, was powered by twin Rotax 582 powerplants of 64 hp (48 kW) each. Twin 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912 and 115 hp (86 kW) 914 engines were optional. Later the 582 was eliminated, the 912 engine became standard and Leza-Lockwood's name was changed to Lockwood.

The Aircam was designed to be able to take-off on one engine if needed and the positioning of the engines close to the centreline contributes to this capability as well as its benign single engine handling.

The Aircam has a landing roll of 300 feet and a takeoff roll of under 200 feet.

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lists eight accidents involving Aircams between 1993 and February 2010. In these eight accidents, there was one fatality, one serious injury, one minor injury and seven people uninjured.