Products & Services
Metal Seagulls is a family owned and run light aviation business. Company directors, Jonathan and Patricia Porter, with close to 60 years of hands-on engineering experience between them, and a focus on aviation and related developments have grown Metal Seagulls to be a leader in the light aviation community worldwide. With customers throughout the UK and internationally from Iceland to Australia, USA to the Falkland Islands, and extensively throughout Africa, the company has a truly world-wide appeal.
We not only represent well known aviation brands such as UL Power Aero Engine, DUC Propellers and Zenair Aircraft but we are well equipped with tools, machines, and competence to design, produce and repair aircraft/aircraft parts, integrate powerplants, develop custom solutions as well as look creatively at adaptations and modifications to meet specific needs. Both directors are LAA and BMAA aircraft inspector, qualified pilots and passionate about creative developments.
We are committed to decarbonisation of aviation and are developing a Smart-e-Ready Airframe under the Fafali Aircraft brand, designed, and built in Wales, generating jobs, growing skills and putting Wales on the map as a leader in design and development of electric and hybrid light aircraft for surveillance, training and recreational aircraft.
Based at Haverfordwest Airport, Pembrokeshire, Wales, with our own modern hangar and apron, with direct access to taxi-way and runways, the we are well equipped with:
- In hangar parking for build/engineering of up to 6 aircraft#
- Hangar apron parking and tie down for up to 4 aircraft (additional parking on main apron)
- 4 axis CNC router/mill 2500 x 1500 x 400mm 10 tool changer, vacuum bed, chip extraction with aggregate heads
- 4 axis CNC Oscillating knife/plotter cutter 2500 x 1500mm with vacuum bed
- 5 axis CNC Press brake 3100mm x 120 tonnes with a wide range of radius tooling
- Laser etching and ‘light cutting’ 800mm x 400mm (including colour embedding capabilities)
- 3D Printing, 330mm x 240mm x 300mm, heated bed
- Vinyl cutting (600mm x 20m)
- English Wheel
- Electric guillotine 1250 x 1.6mm
- Box pan 1250 x 3mm
- Solid and pulled rivet equipment (manual and pneumatic)#
- Media blast cabinet
- Band saw
- Wide range of tools for light aircraft build/parts manufacture
- controlled Composite room with wet and vacuum layup facilities (CF/GF/AF)
- Electric forklift (2T x 4800mm) for moving goods and for test loading
- 6m x 2.2m low-bed twin axle trailer for aircraft and goods movements
Coupled with an extensive store of consumables and raw materials (including 6061T6 sheet and extrusion), stock parts for light aircraft (lights, avionics, wheels, seatbelts, fixings, etc).
Furthermore, the well-equipped IT/electronics office is equipped with CAD/CAM/CAE software, a range of programming capabilities and microcontroller application developments as well as video production and editing facilities (for training and promotion).
There is a well-equipped, well-lit build area, with 3.9m wide x 4.5m high roller shutter access with pallet racking for components and parking area for up to 5 aircraft with 20m wide x 5m high, electrically operated hangar doors onto the apron area.
Quality Approvals
- LAA and BMAA inspectors on the team
Market Experience
The Metal Seagulls Team build, maintain and fly aircraft. With many years of experience in building and operating in tropical West Africa, as well as the UK, the team have extensive hands on problem solving experience. Specialising in the sale and support of ULPower Aero Engines for one-off and OEM projects and assisting with or developing data interface solutions herewith.
Key Equipment & Processes
Sheet metal operations, 3D Printing, Vinyl Cutting, ECU interface hardware and software, custom composite solutions.