The recovery of ailing French aerobatic aircraft manufacturer Avions Mudry hangs in the balance, with two rival bidders apparently prepared to take over the company's debts and re-launch production.
The two candidates are Avions Robin, now owned by Jean-Paul Pelissier, and Dyn'Aero, owned by the son of Robin founder Christophe Robin, which wants to bring its CR100 aerobatic monoplane to the Mudry range to create a "renaissance" in the French aerobatic-aircraft business.
Company founder Auguste Mudry says that the manufacturer has been valued at Fr27 million ($5 million). He adds that an average of 15 aircraft a year have been produced for the past 25 years, and he insists that there is "more demand than ever" for the type.
Avions Mudry has a Fr15 million debt, partly because of the loss of four aircraft in 1996 in a fire at the Bernay factory which left the company with a Fr6 million bill. Offers must be presented by 2 August.
Source: Flight International