Tiger Aircraft

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Tiger Aircraft LLC was an aircraft manufacturer based in Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA.

The company was established in 1999 with the aim of returning the AG-5B Tiger to production. Tiger Aircraft followed in the footsteps of Grumman American, Gulfstream American and American General Aviation Corporation in manufacturing the Tiger.

Tiger Aircraft ceased operations by November 2006 and filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.[1]

Contents

[edit] AG-5B Tiger Certification

Tiger Aircraft received FAA Part 23 certification for the AG-5B in 2001 and its production certificate in 2002. 51 AG-5B Tigers were produced between 2001 and 2006, with only three being completed in 2006. [2] The company also held the type certificates for the AA-1, AA-5 and GA-7 series of aircraft.

[edit] Financial Difficulties

By the middle of 2006 Tiger Aircraft was experiencing financial problems, production of AG-5Bs had been halted and production workers laid off. [3] By November 2006 the company employed only two workers and owed $115,000 in back taxes to the municipality.[4] On November 30th, 2006 it was announced that the Tiger Aircraft buildings were for sale.[5] Tiger Aircraft filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.[1]

[edit] Key Appointments

Tiger Aircraft was headed by President and Chief Operating Officer N. Gene Criss between August 25th, 2003 and early August 2006. Criss was fired by the board for allegedly selling the assets of the company to Network Hosts without authority. The four companies that owned Tiger Aircraft applied to a West Virginia Circuit Court at that time for a restraining order to prevent further sales and also to declare the previous deals invalid.[6]

Bob Crowley was the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

[edit] Asset Acquisition by True Flight Holdings LLC

The Federal Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of Tiger Aircraft assets to True Flight Holdings LLC, on August 2, 2007. True Flight is headed by Kevin Lancaster.

True Flight has purchased the aircraft type certificates, tooling, aircraft building equipment, intellectual property rights, inventories of existing parts and raw materials. The new company did not purchase the former Tiger Aircraft buildings, ground lease, furniture or the paint booth.

True Flight has indicated that they will construct a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m²) facility on a 13 acre lot at the Valdosta, Georgia Airport and will commence production of parts in the near future.[7]

Lancaster has indicated his intention to return the AG-5B Tiger to production as soon as possible and to also expand the line of aircraft models available, once Tigers are again being constructed.[8][9]

True Flight paid USD$925,000 for the assets of Tiger Aircraft, including the type certificates to the entire line of former Grumman American light aircraft.[10]

True Flight Holdings LLC has been renamed True Flight Aerospace LLC, as of November 2007.[11]

The most recent news from True Flight was on 01 November 2007 and the company has issued no statements on progress since that time. It is not clear to what extant the 2008 US economic climate has affected True Flight's plans to put the AG-5B back into production. Due to the declining economy and high fuel prices, first quarter 2008 piston aircraft shipments in the USA were down 28% over the same period in 2007.[11][12][13]

[edit] Related Content

[edit] Aircraft by date

[edit] Related aircraft

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b January 21, 2007 $1 Million Debt Too Much For Aircraft Manufacturer? By Russ Niles, Contributing Editor
  2. ^ Martinsburg Journal-News Article (article no longer available)
  3. ^ Avweb Article May 31, 2006 Tiger Aircraft Seeking Cash By Mary Grady , Newswriter, Editor
  4. ^ Avweb Article November 13, 2006 Tiger On The Ropes?
  5. ^ Martinsburg Journal- News Article (article no longer available)
  6. ^ AvWeb Article August 21, 2006 More Trouble At Tiger
  7. ^ True Flight (November 1, 2007). Renowned small aircraft manufacturer to locate in Valdosta. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
  8. ^ An Open Letter to the AYA By Kevin Lancaster, The American Star, The Official Publication of the American Yankee Association, Volume XXXII Number 5, September/October 2007 pg 4
  9. ^ American Yankee Association Homepage lead story accessed 19 September 2007
  10. ^ AvWeb Article August 5, 2007 Georgia Firm Buys Tiger Type Certificate By Russ Niles, Contributing Editor, accessed 23 September 2007
  11. ^ a b True Flight Aerospace (November 2007). True Flight Aerospace. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  12. ^ American Yankee Association (AYA) (June 2008). True Flight Aerospace Lands Tiger Aircraft in Valdosta, GA. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  13. ^ Pew, Glenn (May 2008). Aircraft Industry First Quarter Check-Up. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.

[edit] External links

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