http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?Cont ... 964540531&

I sense a company in deep doo-doo. Let the takeover rumors begin.

Almost everyone is in trouble, especially pistons. Beech and Cessna are going to be the only survivors, of any substance, for the next few years. Beech is fortunate that Goldman Saks has a lot of investment risk and the only way out is to see it thru.

If Cirrus had trouble making money when they were producing 700 units, this year's deliveries @ 200 units sure won't put them in better shape. I think they've gotta have the "Jet" to make it under the current format, and they just reported their funding is $120,000,000.00 short of bringing it to market. If you can't move forward, whatdoyoudo with the deposits?

I expect to see more piston businesses shutdown where they mothball production to live for another day until new ownership comes on the scene and resesitates them. It wouldn't surprise me if Cirrus was one of them.

For another view . . .

I like Alan.

In my view, he was the brains of the operation -- especially in the marketing concepts and in creating planes that appealed to the public -- not necessarily to pilots. That approach was wildly successful.

I've attached the history of the Klapmeier family from their own website. Alan is third generation and the family came from Bluewater Yachts. Does it come to any surprise why Cirrus is fiberglass?

http://www.bluewateryacht.com/Page.aspx ... ut-Us.aspx

I don't want to be too cruel here, but there is definately a cultural issue. The Bluewater "Yacht" (haha) has to be the one of the worst boats built. It's the one we all joked about when I did inland boating. Every quality dealer I knew of dropped them for lack of warranty payment and poor quality until they didn't have dealers anymore. They were inovative in the early stages, but time passed them up.

I've never been able to get past the vision of their boat and then think of getting into one their fiberglass airplanes that was made down the road.

You have to give Alan Klapmeier credit. I agree with your thoughts, but it's a Catch 22.

To have the resources to stay, you have to be a "Big Boy". The Big Boy style can't make any money with pistons so they stop investing. The piston market is just too small and competitive.

I don't see much happening for several years, at least. I feel lucky to be positioned where we are as long as the services are there. Is the piston market going to become more of an "exclusive" hobby? I guess it's a glass half empty or a glass half full question.

Alan was the 'vision' and the real human face of Cirrus. A perfect leader and spokesman. Think about GA for a moment...the last time the aircraft companies were well respected and growing was when the public knew and liked the real personalities of the leaders of those companies...remember Clyde Cessna and Sam Piper? Alan was the only real personality in a world of faceless corporate giants. He had a wonderful way of communicating the benefits of flight to the non-flying audience. And how many other leaders in this busines can say they have designed and built, flown and crashed their own personal designed experimental plane?

Not just crashed, but had a mid-air collision.

Inovative leaders have strong personalities and often have love-hate relationships. Isn't it odd that many hate Cirrus aircraft while so many of their customers love them. There aren't very many that are just riding the fence.

Alan Klapmeier will have made his mark in the aviation history books. The remaining executives may be exuberant at his departure. It looks like they sucessfully squeezed him out. They'll figure it out when they see the big void and start blaming each other for not filling it.

I think you have it nailed.

They are poised to make some serious mistakes.

Now, how many deposits do they have on the jet? How much was each deposit?

Can you say "class action?"

That ought to put Cirri prices below a 30 year old Bonanzas, but I ain't switching over.

Too bad you don't have the option to go negative parachute, like negative ATIS.

Yves, I think the appropriate response to your comment would be one derived from a variation on the famous exchange in the televised debate between the Senior Senator from Texas and the the Junior Senator from Indiana.

you can't argue with the Marketing genuis of Cirrus which was apparently Alan's visionary.
Probably many BT guys rec'd the most recent maketing effort. yesterday's mail for me.
Very nice little marketing packet - pitching Cirrus to Twin owners. Comparing cost/nm, speed, etc. Nicely done, but forgot one element... there's no chart to compare an SR22 with an A36 or Baron's usefull load/cubic volume, or 6 seats.

how many would look at an "SR36GTS" configured with barn doors, club seating, rear baggage, tip tanks, 1500 useful, and a Density controlled TAT-550? I think I'd give it a test ride.

I hope they survive - GA needs the kind of marketing and innovative product development Cirrus has brought the past several years. are there 600 customers out there willing to put $200K down for Cirrus Jet? dunno
Tim

Yes.

Loved George Braly's post. My first thought on reading a lot of these posts is the old saw about opinions are like...well, you know.

I'll always respect the guy for turning his ambition into products people wanted to buy (and fly). Wish him well.

Cirrus without Klapmeier is like Apple without Jobs - just doesn't make sense.

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Lots of good discussion here about the personalities and marketing- we need people of passion back into the GA marketplace.