IT’S TIME TO WAKE THE DRAGON
DRACO WILL BRING UNIQUE PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY OF FLYING WHEREVER YOU WANT TO GO
Heritage of Excellence:
Our journey began in 2018 under the visionary leadership of Mike Patey, who started by enhancing PZL-104 Wilga 2000 airplanes, believing in their untapped potential. About 1,000 WILGA aircraft were built by what is today Airbus Poland. The legacy of innovation and dedication to enhancing aircraft performance laid the foundation for DRACO Aircraft, establishing itself as a symbol of strength, safety, and ease of flight.
In 2023 top managers from Airbus Poland together with Mike Patey decided to rebuild the aircraft and re-lunch the serial production of Wilga in new Draco configuration.
Thanks to the fact that PZL Wilga already has the EASA and FAA type certificate we will build major changes to turn WILGA into DRACO on the existing type certificates – thereby shortening the process while using the proven exceptional reliability of WILGA for your safety and comfort with DRACO.
OUR TEAM
Johannes von Thadden
Johannes is an experienced aerospace manager with 15 years of management responsibilities in Airbus, e. g. as board member of Airbus' space division or driving Airbus 3bn € global space business.
From the end of 2020 to the end of 2023 Johannes served as CEO of Airbus Poland, having turned around this company to solidly profitable.
He continues to support Airbus as a member of the Supervisory Board of Airbus Defence and Space GmbH.
Before joining Airbus, Johannes served as Director General of the German Christian Democratic Union, Germany's most successful political party. During this time he organized the election campaign in 2005 that made Angela Merkel Chancellor for her first term.
He gained business and international experience as Director of all German Bi-Lateral Chambers of Industry and Commerce, promoting business all around the world - growing this network with over 1,000 employees from offices in 50 countries to 80 countries, including new offices in China, Central Eastern Europe or Africa.
Johannes studied Economics, History and Political Science at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken / Germany, and at the University of Washington, Seattle, Wa. / USA. He finished his studies top of class and earned a Ph.D. 'summa cum laude'. He is married to Małgorzata Ławrowska - von Thadden and father of 3 children, living in Warsaw / Poland and Berlin / Germany.
Mike Patey
Mike Patey is the Chief Engineer of Trike Industries LLC with expertise in engineering and business operations. As a world record recipient in the aviation industry, Patey is also a successful serial entrepreneur, having designed, developed, patented and commercialized record-breaking technologies for many multi-million-dollar start-up companies in the aviation, oil, gas, mining, health care, and motor vehicle industries.
Patey is an avid fixed-wing and rotor-wing pilot, currently holding five world speed records in planes that he designed, custom-built and flew. Patey has built 14 successful aircraft. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) named Patey a “Flying Force of Nature.” In 2016, Mike was inducted into the Sport Air Racing League Hall of Fame. In 2018, Mike designed and built Draco, the world famous and award-winning jet powered turbine engine hyper STOL aircraft. Draco has been featured in dozens of national and international press and media aviation outlets, including AOPA, EAA, Australian Aviation, Discover, FOX, Flying Magazine, Garmin and many others.
Patey is currently ambassador and sponsored by brands as: Pratt & Whitney, Garmin and Covington Aircraft.
Grant Collard
Founder and CEO of Redstone Residential, Inc., an integrated multifamily and student housing real estate firm that acquires, develops, and operates residential projects in sixteen states. At Redstone, his focus is primarily on business development, deal sourcing, capital raising, as well as the financial operations of the company’s portfolio.
Since 2009, Grant has grown Redstone Residential from a small team of 3 managing 600 beds of student housing at Brigham Young University, to a group of 700 team members operating projects totaling over 40,000 beds/units. In addition to his operations experience, Grant has acquired or developed $1.1b of student housing and multifamily property since 2013. Grant started his career as a financial analyst with Peak Capital Partners, where he worked in acquisitions of LIHTC and conventional multifamily housing. Grant is a graduate of the BYU Marriott School of Business, where he studied Finance.
Grant holds a real estate broker license in the States of California, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. He holds a Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation with the Institute of Real Estate Management, a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the CCIM Institute. He is also active in the Utah chapter of Young President’s Organization (YPO).
Grant lives at the base of the Wasatch mountains in Utah and enjoys spending his free time outdoors with his wife and three young children. He is an avid runner, mountain climber, and pilot.
Tomasz Wolf
Tomasz is a professional aviation engineer with over 20 years of experience as Chief Engineer and 20 years as Head of Design Organization. He was approved by EASA and PMA for his positions in Airbus Poland (formerly PZL-Warszawa-Okecie).
His main accomplishment is the PZL 130 ORLIK, a Polish basic military trainer used by the Polish Air Force. The ORLIK holds a Military Type Certificate according to FAR23 issued by PMA.
In 1999, he developed the successful PZL-104 WILGA aircraft into the WILGA2000 model. This involved fitting a new 300 shp Lycoming engine, a new wing with an integral tank, and a redesigned cockpit. The work was certified by EASA, FAA, and TCCA, receiving Type Certificates according to FAR23.
Additionally, Tomasz led the concepts for developing the PZL 106 KRUK family for agricultural purposes and the design concept for the new caring 4 tones PZL240 PELICAN firefighting SAT aircraft, at Airbus Poland.
Tomasz holds a degree in Aviation Engineering from the Warsaw Technical University. He is married to Małgorzata Walewska-Wolf and is a father of two children. He is passionate alpine skier, sailor and sailing boat designer.
Ryan Gledhill
Ryan is a seasoned professional with a strong background in technology, engineering, manufacturing, and leadership. Serving as the CEO of Intermountain Nutrition, Ryan has proven his ability to drive business growth, lead transformative initiatives, and cultivate a culture of excellence, contributing to Intermountain Nutrition's status as one of the top ten fastest-growing manufacturers in the United States.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Ryan and his wife, Mindy, are proud parents to three boys and enjoy residing in Utah. They enjoy spending time outdoors in the beautiful landscapes of Utah and value the sense of community they find among its residents.
In addition to his family and career, Ryan is actively involved in aviation as both a pilot and developer. He is currently involved in a partnership aimed at expanding the Spanish Fork Airport, a project that promises to generate hundreds of jobs for the community and enhance the airport's infrastructure.
OUR INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS:
Airbus Poland S.A (former PZL Warszawa)
Airbus Poland(former PZL Warszawa) is a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space. The company is involved in various activities such as design, prototyping, manufacturing, maintenance, upgrades, research and development, and cooperation in the space industry.
Airbus Poland runs a, production plant, design office and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) centre providing services to the C295 fleets of Poland, Czech Republic and Kazakhstan. Due to the company’s industrial commitment and information-sharing, some 40% of airframe components in all C295 aircraft sold globally are produced there. Furthermore, about 70% of all electric harnesses for the transport aircraft manufactured by Airbus are manufactured in Warsaw.
The factory in Warsaw also is responsible for the production of aerostructures for A330 and harnesses for A320 and A330 Family airliners – contributing significantly to Airbus’ global supply chain. Moreover, engineers from Okecie have designed and developed PZL-130 Orlik aircraft for basic and advanced training of military pilots.
Airbus Poland will support Draco Aircraft wish to explore future cooperation opportunities between their respective organizations in the field of PZL-104 Wilga aircraft based on the Airbus Poland capabilities with the aim of providing contracted DOA services in terms of the design and/or engineering support after the IPRs transfer to Draco Aircraft and are willing to develop a set of design changes jointly agreed between the parties.
Contracted DOA service provider
Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation
The Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation is one of the most modern research facilities in Europe, with traditions dating back to 1926. The Institute closely cooperates with global tycoons of the aviation industry, such as: Boeing, GE, Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, and institutions from the space industry, including the European Space Agency. Strategic research areas of the Institute are aviation, space and unmanned technologies. It also provides research and services for domestic and foreign industries in the field of materials, composite, additive, remote sensing, energy and oil&gas technologies.