Returning Vets May Find New Home At The Lancair Company

The Lancair Company has announced that it is actively soliciting veterans returning from active duty in Iraq to help fill some of the approximately 100 positions it’s currently adding as part of a major expansion program. The Company began an aggressive increase in capacity, which includes expanding its workforce by more than 150% as well as several million dollars worth of capital investments, shortly after the first of the year in response to strong demand for the Company’s Columbia 350 and 400 certified aircraft.

“It is estimated that upwards of 40% of the Central Oregon veterans returning from active duty have no civilian employment waiting,” said Lancair Company President Bing Lantis. “We are trying to fill a lot of jobs and we’re very pleased to be in a position to give back to the men and women who volunteered to serve our country.” The Company will give preference to returning veterans and will provide training for the specialized work of building the Company’s all-composite, four-place aircraft.

“Since the first of the year, we’ve already hired more than 200 new employees,” Lantis said. “We expect to hire another 100 in the coming months and look forward to adding the dedication and leadership that the returning service men and women have gained in our country’s armed forces.”

In addition to the hiring blitz, The Lancair Company is also adding square footage and state-of-the-art equipment to its Bend, Oregon manufacturing facility. Included in this is an additional 41,000 square feet to the primary manufacturing facility and three new hangars, bringing total work area to 181,900 sq ft. Like the manufacturing facility, the new hangars will also be located on Bend Municipal Airport. Construction on all of these projects is already underway with some already completed.

“Orders for our Columbia 350 and 400 are very strong,” Lantis said. “We’re increasing our production rate as quickly as possible while maintaining or, in many cases, enhancing our product quality. Doing this requires more room, equipment and people.”

A notable element of the expansion program is a new aftermarket installation and service facility to be located in one of the new hangars. It will provide Columbia buyers with a factory-owned and managed opportunity to add non-production options as well as service and maintenance for their aircraft.

“A lot of people who buy aircraft like the Columbia 350 and 400 want to add avionics and other things that aren’t feasible on the production line,” said Lancair Company Vice President Marketing and Sales Randy Bolinger. “This facility will provide these services with the assurance that the quality level will be consistent with what our customers expect from the factory.”

FMI: www.flycolumbia.com