Case Study: Silent Wings achieves FAA-ready jet-conversion sailplane designs with Alibre Design

Silent Wings - Customer Case Study

Silent Wings, led by airshow pilot and aeronautics designer Bob Carlton, faced the challenge of converting a fiberglass Salto sailplane into a jet-powered aircraft while working on a tight budget and needing professional, certifiable 3D models to share with a Czech engine partner and the FAA. Bob needed an affordable, fully capable 3D solid modeler that could import partner files and speed up detailed design work—requirements he met by choosing Alibre and its product, Alibre Design.

Alibre delivered a fast-learning, parametric 3D solution: Bob was designing usable parts within the hour, could import STEP files from his Czech partners, use TraceParts libraries to drop in standard components, and run first-pass FEA plug-ins to verify flight loads. As a result, Alibre enabled Silent Wings to produce professional presentations for partners and the FAA, debug and finalize details before cutting fiberglass, save substantial design time, and reuse design files for future projects.