A year after entering bankruptcy proceedings, French general-aviation manufacturer Avions Mudry has been taken over formally by Aeronautique Service, owner of Dijon-based Avions Pierre Robin.
Mudry has been in difficulty since 1994, when for budgetary reasons the Government decided against further purchases of its trainers. A fire later destroyed the building at Bernay, in Normandy, where the Cap 10, Cap 32 and Cap 232 aerobatic aircraft were built.
The decision by the Rouen commercial court in favour of Aeronautique Service went against the solution proposed by Mudry founder Auguste Mudry, which called for a take-over by the workforce. He says that the decision is wrong. "I have put 30 years into this company, with no losses until the last two years, when I have been unable to raise a single centime to help with our problems." he says. He believes that Mudry is worth Fr20 million ($3.3 million), and complains that the Fr250,000 price being paid for the company by Aeronautique Services is "ridiculous". In setting the price, the court took into account the fact that the company has debts of Fr15 million.
The president of Avions Pierre Robin, Jean-Paul Pellissier, who is on the board of Aeronautique Service, says that the price being paid for Mudry is "reasonable". He adds that "-Mudry aircraft are fine products, but we will have to invest a great deal to ensure the future of the company". He has already confirmed plans to retain and develop the existing Mudry range, along with the new G222 aerobatic trainer under development by Akrotek, another Aeronautique Services subsidiary.
Source: Flight International