Olympos, a small Japanese aircraft-maker known for its unique products such as a real-life version of a fictional glider from popular animation, is now working on re-creating a defunct classic trainer biplane used by the former Imperial Japanese Army, aiming for its maiden flight next year.
Satoru Shinohe, who heads the four-member company that creates small aircraft and gliders — from the design stage to building and test flights — said in a recent interview that he was driven to create unique "dream-inspiring" planes that major companies would never manufacture.
Olympos received attention in 2009 when it succeeded in creating a jet-equipped glider that resembles the "Mehve" glider flown by the heroine from the anime classic "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind." The 1984 film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, memorably features Nausicaa, the heroine, lying on the glider's body to pilot it.