VisualMILL for SolidWorks takes flight!

Cliff Honeycutt, CEO and owner of Key LimeAir, a medium sized aircraft charter companybased in Englewood, Colorado, is familiarwith what it takes to make complexmachinery fly. As someone who isfascinated with the design and production ofparts and a deep and abiding passion to get“under the hood” he took up learning todesign and produce parts using SolidWorksand VisualMILL for SolidWorks.

Cliff HonycuttKey Lime Air

… because of the capabilitythat VisualMill forSolidWorks has offered Ihave started to design myown set of extremelydetailed landing gear for a1/7th scale F-18

Says Cliff: “Aside from my general interest in how things are made, I am extremely deep intothe hobby of Remote Controlled Jets. These are at the extreme high end of the hobby andhave such things as real jet (turbine) engines, carbon disc brakes, air/oil landing gear struts,etc. So I have always wanted to be able to reproduce/repair my own parts for these aircraftsince most of it is manufactured overseas. Also because of the capability that VisualMill forSolidWorks has offered I have started to design my own set of extremely detailed landing gearfor a 1/7th scale F-18.”

Cliff Honeycutt pictured here with a F-5 RemoteControlled airplane

Cliff also adds that “without VisualMill for Solid works this kind of parts production wouldbe extremely difficult, if not impossible in my garage with my limited knowledge and lackof experience that I have in this field.”

Most of his machining so far has been done using the 4th axis machining options found inVisualMILL for SolidWorks. Parts that Cliff has recently designed and machined areextremely detailed components of the landing gear of an scaled down F-18, pictures ofwhich are shown here. These are machined from a solid piece of 3” 7075 aluminum roundstock. Cliff states that, “The 4th axis and associated milling software contained inVisualMill for SolidWorks makes this seemingly impossible task not only possible butrelatively simple to accomplish.”

Cliff HonycuttKey Lime Air

The 4th axis and associated milling software contained in VisualMillfor SolidWorks makes this seemingly impossible task not onlypossible but relatively simple to accomplish

VisualMILL for SolidWorks takes flight!

VisualMILL for SolidWorks takes flight!

I can say, however, thatthe product’s capability isphenomenal and just bythe fact that someonewith my lack ofbackground can go fromzero to producing theparts that I have should bea convincing testament tothe ease and usability ofVisualMill.

Cliff HonycuttKey Lime Air

Cliff HonycuttKey Lime Air

Cliff uses the 64 bit versionSolidWorks 2010 andVisualMILL for SolidWorks.Using 64 bits allows theseapplications to takeadvantage of memory inexcess of 2 Gigabytes thatmost modern computers areequipped with. As Cliffbecomes more proficient withthese products thecomplexity of his parts andprojects are bound toincrease and the capabilitiesof these products to handlelarge parts will prove to beinvaluable.

Cliff feels that the biggest strengths of VisualMILL for SolidWorks are its ease of use andthe support that he has received from MecSoft in getting him up to speed. He has nothad any professional training but with invaluable guidance and support from MecSoft hasbecome quite proficient and productive with the product.

Here at MecSoft, we’re proud to have discerning and capable customers such as CliffHoneycutt and also to provide the technology that makes possible our customer’s flightsof fancy!

VisualMILL for SolidWorks takes flight!

About Key Lime Air

Key Lime Air is a medium sized aircraft charter company based at Centennial Airport,Englewood, Colorado. Key Lime Air’s business is primarily regional air freight/cargo,with a fair amount of passenger charter as well. Key Lime Air’s current aircraft fleetconsists of 33 airplanes of which 22 are turbo props (jet/prop powered), 10 pistonpowered and one Lear Jet.

For more information, contactMecSoft Corporation

18019 Sky Park Circle, STE KLIrvine, CA 92614 USA949.654.8163www.mecsoft.com