Thursday 22nd October 2026
A Europa builder whose enthusiasm endured into retirement
The Europa Club has lost a valued member of its wider aviation family with the passing of Arnold Kristian Hansen, who died on 27 January 2026, aged 89.
Arnold’s story is a reminder that building an aircraft is about much more than assembling components. It is about curiosity, determination, the exchange of knowledge, and the friendships that develop around a shared passion for flight.
LN-ABM – a retirement project with a purpose
As Arnold approached retirement, he embarked on a project that would become a defining part of his later years: the construction of his Europa XS, LN-ABM, build number 381.
For Arnold, this was far more than a practical engineering exercise. It was an opportunity to immerse himself in a subject that demanded patience, precision and a willingness to keep learning. The Europa offered the ideal combination of technical challenge and the promise of freedom in the air.
The project reflected a quality that many Europa builders will recognise: the determination to see a complex undertaking through, one detail at a time, until the individual parts become a complete and flying aircraft.
A lasting connection with the Europa community
Arnold’s commitment to the Europa extended well beyond his own aircraft. He maintained contact with people closely involved in the design, development and support of the type, including Bud Yerly, Ivan Shaw and others in the Europa world.
These conversations were part of what made the Europa experience so rewarding. The exchange of practical knowledge, ideas and experience across borders has always been an important strength of the Europa community. Arnold embraced that spirit, remaining engaged with the people and the technical questions that surrounded the aircraft he had chosen to build.
His interest exemplified the international nature of the Europa Club: a community brought together not simply by a particular aircraft, but by a shared enthusiasm for building, flying and helping one another.
More than an aircraft
Arnold’s life encompassed interests and adventures beyond aviation. Among the memories associated with him was a sailing trip to Mosselbukta in Svalbard with his father, a place connected with his father’s own shipwreck there some sixty years earlier. It was an experience that speaks to a life shaped by curiosity, adventure and an appreciation of the stories carried by people and places.
Those qualities found a natural expression in his Europa project. Taking on an aircraft build in retirement requires a special kind of commitment: the willingness to begin something demanding, to work through setbacks and to remain absorbed in the process.
LN-ABM stands as a tangible result of that commitment.
A legacy that will continue to fly
For those who knew Arnold, his passing will be felt as the loss of a friend and fellow aviation enthusiast. For the wider Europa community, his story is also a reminder of the dedication and personal endeavour behind every homebuilt Europa.
Each aircraft carries the work, decisions and aspirations of the person who built it. LN-ABM carries Arnold’s, and it represents a chapter of his life in which a retirement project became a lasting achievement.
We extend our sincere condolences to Arnold’s family and friends.
LN-ABM will continue to fly as a fitting tribute to Arnold Kristian Hansen, and may his enthusiasm for the Europa remain an inspiration to fellow builders and pilots.
Rest in peace, Arnold.
