Fri, Aug 21, 2009
End Of An Era????
News/Analysis by J. R. Campbell, CEO/Editor-In-Chief
There is a temptation to get a mite maudlin about this...
especially since it involves a good friend we've had the pleasure
to work with over the course of a number of decades, but as we
understand it, Alan Klapmeier cleared out his office at Cirrus
Aircraft today, Thursday... which had to be an emotionally
wrenching thing to do.
June 2009
Over the last few months, Cirrus'
majority shareholders have taken new directions with the company,
appointed new management and made a number of decisions they feel
necessary to see the company through the current economic malaise.
As a part of that process, the former CFO, Brent Wouters, became
CEO and Alan's role was minimized to a point where it pretty much
disappeared.
June 2008
I have such a deep and abiding affection (heck, call it what it
is... passion) for this aircraft and this company (as well as a
number of others) and have dear friends on all sides of this issue,
but I sure wish the current Cirrus crystal ball had Alan continuing
to play a major role in the amazing revolution that he started.
While I have great confidence in the future of the designs and the
company and -- especially the very hard-working folks that still
(in part) manage and staff the effort, I can't help but feeling
that this is a company that is better with Alan in it, than outside
it.
June 2009
For whatever its worth, while I KNOW we haven't seen the last of
Alan Klapmeier as a major force in the aviation world, I sure wish
that the industry was kinder to the true innovators that have
helped us rebuild GA to where it is today. Business is business,
they tell me... but more than that, Alan Klapmeier has been one of
the most positive and inspired spokespersons that GA has seen in
many a year. In founding Cirrus, he has demonstrated to one
and all that dreams were worth pursuing, that hard work can pay off
and that aviation is a wondrous and valuable entity that deserved
the attention of the nation and the world.
Oshkosh 2008
We can hardly wait to see what he comes up with
next...
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