VTM®260 Series prepreg materials and a range of complementary products from Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG), part of Umeco Composites Structural Materials (UCSM) – a Division of Umeco plc, are being used by French Aircraft manufacturer LISA Airplanes to manufacture the wings, fuselage and a multitude of smaller lightweight composite components for their two-seater, single engine AKOYA pleasure/business plane.

State-of-the-art technology has merged with significant aerodynamic research and design, and ACG's prepregs to produce the AKOYA, an aircraft that consumes a meagre 5litres of fuel per 100km, meaning that LISA Airplanes has achieved one of its prime objectives - to combine economy with performance.

LISA Airplanes' innovations are a major asset to operators who provide pleasure flights and business trips. In addition to the essential prerequisites of economy with performance, the AKOYA is equipped with the multi-access technology that enables it to land on water, ground and snow with the same ease and without prior modification. ULM (Ultra Light Motorised) licensed pilots enjoy the flexibility of this facility and the broad possibilities of travel that it gives.

Measuring 6.9m (22.6ft) long, and having a wingspan of 11m (36ft), the AKOYA can be readily stored in a garage; a unique design characteristic permits the wings to be folded backwards to give a total width of only 3.2m (10.5ft).

ACG's VTM260 epoxy resin prepregs series, which can be used for both component and tooling applications, are an established generation of long out life, flexible cure temperature formulations that can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements, and adapted to a variety of low cost vacuum-bag composite processes. This series offers extended out life up to 30 days, an essential characteristic for large-scale projects such as the AKOYA plane.