Factory Now Producing A Plane A Day

Columbia Aircraft Manufacturing Co. celebrated a milestone last week as its 400th aircraft rolled off the assembly line in Bend, OR. The company (formerly known as The Lancair Company -- not to be confused with kitbuilder Lancair International) produced its first plane six years ago... and while times are now rosy for Columbia, that wasn't always the case.

"We started in the mid-'90s on certifying the aircraft," said Columbia's North American sales manager Mike Schrader to the Bend Bulletin, "and it was a long, hard battle to get to the point of producing one plane per day. It's phenomenal."

As was reported by Aero-News, Columbia delivered 115 new airplanes in 2005. According to the Bulletin, about 60 completed aircraft -- all sold -- currently sit outside the company's plant near Bend Municipal Airport, waiting for their owners to come pick them up.

"Right now, we're on an even balance," Schrader added. "What usually happens is that demand picks up in the summer before it evens out by wintertime -- so if we carry our current sales momentum through the year, we expect demand to outpace our production for the rest of the year."

That's a welcome far cry from 2002, when an investor pulled its funding and the company was forced to lay off 277 employees. Today, the company's plant in Bend employs 730 people -- and is looking for more.

"We need people," Schrader said. "We're definitely looking to get more workers on board."

That also comes as good news for Roger Lee, executive director of Economic Development for Central Oregon.

"The company went through some tenuous times three to four years ago, and they've rebounded dramatically," said Lee.

FMI: www.flycolumbia.com