Calling All Builders: Help Shape the Future of Mini-MAX
As Jess and I embark on the exciting and ambitious journey of stewarding the entire Mini-MAX aircraft brand, we’re turning to the Mini-MAX community to help guide us in the direction you’d like to see the brand evolve. Over the past several weeks, we’ve spent countless hours researching the history of Mini-MAX and the remarkable legacy of Wayne Ison’s designs. Our commitment is to be the best caretakers of the Mini-MAX name that we possibly can.
What we’ve come to realize is that while the aircraft themselves are truly exceptional, the brand’s longevity depends entirely on the builders, owners, pilots, and the vibrant community that surrounds it. In an era when customers can easily bypass small businesses and order directly from large suppliers, keeping a small aviation brand afloat has some major challenges. Our goal is to provide — and eventually stock — everything needed to complete a Mini-MAX, from spinner to tail, and tires to helmets.
We’re passionate about revitalizing the Mini-MAX community into what it once was. We've seen incredible videos from past fly-ins and gatherings at Oshkosh, but we feel that same energy has diminished in recent years. We envision a future that includes several regional Mini-MAX fly-ins across the U.S., culminating in an annual, large-scale gathering in the not-too-distant future. If all goes according to plan, we aim to have a booth at AirVenture 2026 and Sun 'n Fun in 2027.
To support this vision, we’re starting with a comprehensive refresh of all plan sets, construction manuals, material lists, flight manuals, branding, and marketing assets. Importantly, we’re not changing any of the original specifications — just modernizing the documents to make them clearer and more accessible. Many of the current documents date back to the late '80s and early '90s and have suffered from multiple rounds of photocopying. We’ve already completed revisions of all construction manuals and the Flight Manual, and are currently working through material lists and parts references before moving on to the full-scale plans.
Once these updates are complete, we will launch a new website where digital and printed plan sets will be available. The first models to be re-released will include the 1100R, 1030F, 1500R Sport, 1550V V-MAX, 1600R Sport, 1650R EROS, and 1700R Hi-MAX. We will be holding off on the AeroMax, SuperMax, and Epic Sport until we’ve thoroughly reviewed and completed those plans to the standard we’re setting with the rest of the lineup.
What do we need from the community? Quite a bit — and your help is invaluable.
First and foremost, we’re in urgent need of marketing materials. If you have high-quality photos or videos of your Mini-MAX — at any stage of the build or in flight — we would be incredibly grateful to feature them on our website, social media, brochures, and other promotional channels. With limited archival content available, we’re building our marketing presence from scratch and would love to highlight your work.
We’re also seeking your insights on the existing documentation. If you’ve built a Mini-MAX — especially an AeroMax or SuperMax — and encountered any discrepancies, unclear instructions, or missing specifications, we want to hear from you. Identifying and correcting these issues early will help ensure accuracy and consistency across all future plans.
A quick note: Jess and I are managing nearly every aspect of the business ourselves while also learning the intricacies of each airframe and raising our two young children. We truly appreciate your patience if we occasionally miss a tag on Facebook or a post in a forum. We’ll do our best to respond as quickly and thoroughly as we can.
As we grow, we also plan to expand our team. Eventually, we hope to bring on community members to help with graphic design and technical support. If you believe you’d be a good fit and are passionate about contributing, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for your continued support. We’re honored to be part of this incredible community and excited for what lies ahead.
Warm regards,
Jess and Jake
Mini-MAX USA
(605) 299-1175
info@flyminimax.com
