Quartz Mountain Aerospace Waiting For Production Certificate

An Altus, OK-based planemaker hoping to reintroduce a variant of the storied Luscombe 11 Sedan to the general aviation market recently laid off 20 of its 104 employees, citing delays in FAA inspections and supply issues.

Quartz Mountain Aerospace CEO John S. Daniel told The Oklahoman newspaper his company is waiting to receive its production certificate from the FAA. Until then, the agency has to inspect each individual plane prior to delivery... and Daniel says there are only so many inspectors to go around.

"They have not abandoned us, but they've told us how much time and people they can dedicate to our effort," Daniel said. "What that amounts to is that it will take us longer to get production started."

Daniel also admits parts shortages and training issues within the company played a role in the production delay... and until those issues are resolved, there's only so much work to go around at the company's plant at Quartz Mountain Regional Airport (AXS).

"With delays, we just had more people than we had work for right now," Daniel said.

Most of the layoffs involved production line workers, although several clerks and draftsmen were also included. All will be eligible for unemployment benefits, Daniels stressed, and some could be recalled to work in the future.

Quartz Mountain Aerospace -- formerly Luscombe Aircraft Corp. -- earned amended FAA type-certification for its tricycle-geared Luscombe 11E in 2002, but the plane has suffered a turbulent path to production since then. To date, the company has received approximately $9.5 million in loans from the city, and another $32 million in special financing from the state of Oklahoma.

Today, Quartz Mountain says the company it has about 120 firm orders for the four-place, single-engine, high-wing aircraft, which it is marketing to flight schools and private pilots. The company now hopes to have its production cert by the end of the year.

Daniels says its customers have been understanding of the company's problems. "Those people are aware of the problems," he said. "At this time, we've not lost any potential customers because of the time delay."

That sentiment is confirmed by Luscombe Southwest regional dealer Miles Hoover, who says Quartz Mountain has kept him up to speed on the delays.

"They've got most of the planes sold if they can just get them into production," the Grapevine, TX-based dealer told The Oklahoman.

FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the agency is doing all it can to expedite that process.

"We are prioritizing these projects on a national basis," Cory said. "The safety of our current fleet is our top priority, but our goal is to get to as many of these new projects as quickly as possible."

FMI: www.qmaero.com, www.faa.gov