E-Mail Announces That Sadler Aircraft Company Is For Sale

At Sebring this past January, there were about 100 manufactures of LSAs in various stages of development and production, which caused many, including the ANN editorial staff, to wonder out loud how many might be around by the 2011 LSA Expo. We learned Monday that one, which was first seen at Air Venture 2007, will not make it to Air Venture 2010, at least with its current owners.

Sadler Aircraft Company, based in Roseburg, OR, had pinned its hopes on the Vampire. But the people who had hoped to build an LSA described by its designers as having the soul of a fighter have officially put the company up for sale. An e-mail from Sadler Aircraft VP David Littlejohn said that "the economic downturn in aviation has taken its toll on the Vampire," and that "the project is being suspended and offered for sale."

Littlejohn said that, while the interest in the airplane was strong, it was not strong enough to turn the lookers into buyers willing to escrow money which would have then allowed the company to secure additional funding from investors.

The two-place Vampire, which was born of a single-place ultralight that won its designer Bill Sadler the Grand Champion Ultralight award at Oshkosh back in 1982, was officially unveiled at Air Venture last year. At the time, the company said The Vampire was built on a scaled back air-to-ground fighter plane airframe, stressed to more than +/- 6 g's.  The airplane was powered by a Jabiru 3300 engine mounted behind the cockpit, with an aft-facing prop between twin tail-booms.  The wings would double-fold vertically, like an aircraft carrier-based WWII bomber. The base price was set under $100K, but adding options took the airplane up into the six-figure range.

As of Monday, Littlejohn said the company is seeking a buyer for the prototype Vampire and various parts for three more airplanes already under construction. The company is asking for $50,000 obo, which includes a nearly brand new Jabiru 3300 with under 100 hours.

Littlejohn said at this time the company is being sold as a package including: prototype Vampire (has flown, but not flying now), wing sections for 4 aircraft (unskinnned), raw aluminum to skin the wings, spars and tail booms for 2 planes, landing gear for 4 planes, various other miscellaneous parts.

There are signs of economic recovery, but by every estimation and analysis, it is going to be slow, and buyers are likely to remain cautious. So whether the Vampire turns out to be the canary in the coal mine for the LSA industry remains to be seen.

FMI: www.sadleraircraft.com