US piston-single manufacturer Commander Aircraft is expanding into the used business jet brokerage and refurbishment market following its merger with publicly traded Aviation General, a new holding company created to provide a vehicle for diversification and acquisitions, according to the group's chairman, Wirt Walker.
The first venture by Aviation General will be the creation of a subsidiary to broker used turboprop and jet-powered business aircraft, and to offer refurbishment services to be performed by Commander at its Bethany, Oklahoma, plant.
Walker says the company can handle the refurbishment and painting of aircraft up to the size of the Dassault Falcon 50.
The merger with Aviation General, which now owns 100% of Commander Aircraft, signals a turnaround for the US manufacturer, which had been losing money since acquiring the Commander 114 piston-single line from Rockwell in the early 1990s. Walker says the company is now breaking even and will be "in the black soon", after spending $40 million on improving the aircraft.
"We knew it would take a long time to turn the company around," he says. "The major part of the investment is behind us, and business is getting better."
Commander now has an order backlog and is increasing the 114's production rate. At the same time, the company has diversified into brokerage and refurbishment services for piston singles as a result of taking used Bonanzas, Mooneys and Pipers as trade-ins against new Commanders.
Source: Flight International
