So the Chinese have bought another maker of airplanes. Link here, sorry only in German: http://noe.orf.at/news/stories/2885807/
I wished for Mr Dries, the visionary in general aviation, to push a little bit further. But still I understand for him to sell. In the regulation that overriders the physics these aircrafts are truly great achievement. My best regards for him.
After Cirrus, Mooney, Continental, Diamond !!!
I am so sad to see such a brilliant European aircraft maker sold to the Chinese.
Is anyone interested in keeping a little bit of know-how and innovation on this continent ?
Jujupilote wrote:
I am so sad to see such a brilliant European aircraft maker sold to the Chinese.
Is anyone interested in keeping a little bit of know-how and innovation on this continent ?
Airbus maybe. But sadly they don’t really care about GA. Wonder why the Chinese do though, it’s not like there will be a flourishing GA sector there anytime soon?
Is anyone interested in keeping a little bit of know-how and innovation on this continent ?
My sincere apologies for sounding negative, (some might even say “cynical”) in these days of fair wishes and good intentions – but no, alas, the answer is a clear NO. Europe as a whole is mainly interested in details – whether or not to support the pilots of one enterprising airline (as if they needed any support), or whether the MTOW of ultralights should be at 500 or 600 kgs. The future, and even those parts of the present that obviously work, are left to outsiders. Comprenne qui peut. Vivat Brexit! Vivat free enterprise!
The likely problem is that when somebody builds up a business and upon reaching “advanced age” there is no obvious family member to pass it down to, your only options are to close it (which is a big waste if it is making money, employing loads of people, etc) or to sell it. You can sell it to the staff (a management buyout) but they might not be able to come up with the cash, and you may not have much in your pocket to lend them some money, which leaves the option of selling to an outsider. And quite possibly some Chinese outfit was the only one with the cash. Of course we don’t know the details of liabilities, pending lawsuits, the nature of the market, you name it… The wiki page indicates how complicated the situation was.
This is also an interesting thread!
Take a helicopter view:
> The Chinese own a huge potential market. With an eye on our miserable failure, they can make their GA market thrive.
> We (EASA and FAA) have killed the “small GA” market segment.
> Another factor is lawyeritis in the US. I know for example that Walter Extra failed to enter the US market with the excellent Extra500 because of the cost of liability insurance.
Summary: the Chinese are buying the crown jewels of a dying industry and will revive them and make a huge equity profit on this.
it’s not like there will be a flourishing GA sector there anytime soon?
Exactly… so this is all a big mystery. Allowing GA activity like we have here in the developed world is a big challenge for any well run totalitarian state.
However China is flush with money and is looking at stuff to buy with it. Anything will do, really… This guy would have probably just as happily bought the IWC watch factory. Aviation has always had a “romantic” aspect to it, attracting all kinds of funny people. You see a load of them propping up airport bars but those are the ones without the money 
And if you are Mr Dries, anybody’s money is equally good. And if the Chinese make a mess of it, or just lose interest because in 10 years’ time the Chinese GA scene has gone nowhere, he will probably buy it back for peanuts
Europe as a whole is mainly interested in details
It is the detail which decides whether something will be a success or not. Every bunch of cheer leader types needs a “detail person” to make stuff actually work.
ga in Europe is dead killed by your bureocracy
Maybe the Chinese will look at that segment differently
To complete the picture come to Sherman, Texas where the IAC acro met every year for the annual competition until asked to leave.
We were ousted in favor of the local flying school who caters mostly to Chinese pilots who are all over in north Texas flying at this moment.
