New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

[RobertP]

Hi All,

Please see my latest Post in The Taylorcraft Foundation Forum re the new owners of the Taylorcraft Company, Posted following the threads for the Taylorcraft offer to the Foundation. Is this at last the good news we have all been waiting for?

[VictorBravo]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

With all due respect to Robert P (and thank you for the post!!), This is absolutely comical that nobody here in the US would make this semi-public before the information got to the UK.

What's up Forrest, either this is legit or it isn't. If it's legit then it should have been made public.

[RobertP]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

Sorry if I upset anyone by pressing on with my enquiries but I did ask if it would cause any problems in the Post's before I did so!

It did suprise me when I saw the date of the Factory purchase ( a month previous ) that we did not know about it and wondered if anyone from The Foundation was involved or perhaps if it was a consortium of Foundation members?

If the consortium of members or lead purchaser are from Brownsville area I would have thought someone would have known something about him / them or I presume someone from the Foundation was in touch "with those who matter" at the factory concerning the earlier offer of purchase to the Foundation and would possibly have known something?

I am pleased that at last sometime in the future (when?) that we will hopefully be able to get certified spares again but it is also bad news for me in that now there is a new purchaser the UK CAA will not be prepared to put my F22A on to a Permit on the basis of spares production being available again. I just hope it isn't "another false dawn" which leaves us in "limbo again" for another 2-3 years, so some positive feedback about the new owners would be reassuring.

I can't imagine the UK CAA passing this information to me if it wasn't correct so hopefully soon someone over your side of the Pond will be able to confirm it.

[guns68]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

I know I am a new guy here, so it’s with some trepidation that I write this. Something just does not smell right. If the new owners are serious about spooling up the factory (and providing spares, not just aircraft) I would think it would have been made public or at least vigoursly discussed on this forum at least (Robert, don’t take any offence to this discussion, your just the poor guy who tripped the wire), but instead we get the news from a person who stumbles on to it. It does not make me want to stand in line to buy spare parts from them.
Like I said, I’m one of the new guys around here and I could be all washed up, but when I read Robert’s initial post last night I felt disappointed and more than a little wary of this deal.

[3Dreaming]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

I know from other businesses that announcing things before you have everything set in place and ready to move product creates problems. Being tight lipped and ready to deliver product when the announcement is made is better than making promisses now and not being able to follow through later.

[guns68]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

This still has a back door deal feeling to it. Just to clarify, I'm new to Taylorcrafts but not to aviation, and I've seen far too many shady deals and fly by night operations over the years. Maybe I'm just jaded. I sure hope I'm wrong about all of this.

[RobertP]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

I totally agree that this needs checking out and as I suggested before I think one person should be appointed to make a few calls which should resolve it one way or the other very quickly and easily.

I can quite understand playing things close to the chest whilst negotations were taking place but this sale took place according to your Authorities out there over a month ago in which case why the prolonged silence now? I can only tell you all what our Aviation Authorities are saying over here and I felt it proper to report to the forum what I had been told, especially so due to the lack of information a month after the sale!

There is no doubt in the emails I have received that The Factory has been sold to the new consortium.

If that's the case let's support the new owners and give them a chance and hopefully they will get certified spares moving again quickly. I also agree that the Aviation Industry has more than it's fair share of sharks and no good deals but we have to move forward all-be-it with caution.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

If the new owners are reading here it is important for them to understand that they have a potential tremendously loyal customer base in this group. We are, almost to a person, flat out in love with our planes and would like nothing better than to see Taylorcraft back in business and thriving.
If you are out there, we are willing to help, support and talk up your business producing parts and planes for us to buy.
Let us help, in any way you can use us. We WANT Taylorcraft to be a success, and there is a base of knowledge on the right and wrong things to do to be a success. We have seen the business killed several times and we understand how to make a reasonable profit from the rights to these great little planes.
Let us help. How many businesses have customers begging to help them?
Hank

[Marv]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

I understood that the owners was going to give the paperwork etc. to the Taylorcraft foundation, I don't suppose some of the good ole boys got together, thought they could make a few bucks and crowded out the foundation do you ? Marv

[lfries]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

Straight from the Factory web site.

Taylorcraft 2000 LLC Ownership Update

New November 09, 2009 Please accept this notice as a formal announcement of the pending changes in ownership of Taylorcraft 2000, LLC.

The company has been acquired by a group of investors with additional capital to finance growth plans - both for products and operations. This group has short, medium and long term goals for Taylorcraft.

Please expect more news soon. Thank you in advance for your patience as we work to get the company through this transition period.

[Forrest Barber]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

Antonio sent a peace offering to Robert Lees & Bob Ollerton, Bob forwarded it to me and I opened it this morning. Yesterday was my 67th Birthday and 51 Years of flying. YES I took the Taylorcraft for a ride.

As mentioned above Taylorcraft 2000 LLC Ownership Update::

New November 09, 2009 Please accept this notice as a formal announcement of the pending changes in ownership of Taylorcraft 2000, LLC.

The company has been acquired by a group of investors with additional capital to finance growth plans - both for products and operations. This group has short, medium and long term goals for Taylorcraft.

Please expect more news soon. Thank you in advance for your patience as we work to get the company through this transition period.

I am in direct contact this morning to try to get information , I think again they are confused and yes I hope the new owners read our forumns:

More when I get it. I have been silent for some time., I too have reservations.



ve, the Taylorcraft.com site has :

[Forrest Barber]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

For CLARIFICATION: the following was sent to Robert Lees & Bob Ollerton only , Bob then forwarded to me and I opened it this morning :
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 1:52 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Brownsville Taylorcraft Factory

Dear people,
The new owners of Taylorcraft wants to do things differently since the beginning, this is why one of my tasks is to get a membership with your organization and a foundation ID so the new company could be in touch with the Taylorcraft owners, I already downloaded the membership form and I will send the check payable to the Taylorcraft foundation.
Please let me know if I need to do something else.
Respectfully.
Antonio Villalobos
Quality Assurance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Brownsville factory phone did not answer at around 8:50 CST, 11-11-09. I then sent the following: to Antonio Rob, Bob and all Reg REps:

Antonio;
The factory has always had a membership in the TAYLORCRAFT FOUNDATION. I will look up the number if you lost it and advise later in the day. WE welcome any information you may have to our members. They already saw your announcement on your web site and are a bit puzzled that you announced this in England first ( . I know what happened and hope to straighten out the communication. IF you want to communicate with Forrest Barber , Executive Director of the Taylorcraft Foundation ; use [email protected] and [email protected] I can then forward to our Regional Representatives and others as necessary . Good luck , more soon.

To the regional reps, I think you see how the communications got a bit off base , I really have to get into the Veterans Parade this morning. Bill Berle, when you get your coffee this morning, go on the site and monitor that it does not go too far afield. Here we go again ( …..
back in about two hours..... Forrest
Kind of ironic that I was flying around in my Taylorcraft when the e-mail from Antonio came in yesterday.....

[Forrest Barber]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

In a nutshell , I have contacted the new owner(s) and we are exchanging information by e-mail , more as I get it. Mr. Lewis F. Aguirre has the SRA Co., tool & die operation in Brownsville. Blue skies!

[Ragwing nut]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

I just hope they do not have the same pipe dream to build airplanes like all the previous owners since Ferris. We know how all those turned out. Stick to parts only and everything should be fine.

[RobertP]

Re: New owners of Taylorcraft 200LLC

WELL SAID! but worryingly aircraft production was mentioned in the original email from your Authorities but I guess we will have to wait and see what business strategy they come up with.

I hope they produce spares across the board as well not just with the older aircraft in mind where there will be a bigger turn over market I suppose!

The basics to keep us flying legal would be a good start like your local Qwik fit or whatever garage chain you have in the States where you could get exhaust stacks and similar quick turn over parts to get the whole thing up and running again and get confidence back with the customers, then move on from there? Look at aircraft production much later down the track once the core business and confidence factor had been established plus the economy had improved.

It is also to be hoped that they will tap into the Foundation to get ideas from the experts we have on site, who no doubt have far better idea's than mine as to what is needed!