Van's Aircraft Sailing Through Reorganization with Aplomb

Van's Aircraft has extended the window to buy up kits, engines, and gear for those who'd put down payments in the past, extending the window through Thursday, February 22nd.

Along with the announcement, Dick Van Grusnfen and Greg Hughes noted company progress along the way to filling all outstanding orders. Evidently, the price increases didn't dissuade the majority of aircraft builders, with 81% of orders being fulfilled under the new terms. Broken down further, they indicated that 93% of engine orders, 78% of kit orders and at least 80% of prop orders have gotten the go-ahead from buyers. 

The choice to extend the window will help the firm get even further past its goals to have at least 70% of its buyers re-order their selections following a series of pretty brutal SNAFUs. With some back-to-back supplier and design issues (the laser-cut vs. punched-hole problem, primer woes) hit at a poor time for Van's, pushing it into Chapter 11 as the company faced steep customer service costs with aged orders in-hand. Inflation got them stuck between a rock and a hard place, ultimately forcing some restructuring and court involvement, backed up by refreshingly frank and honest communication with the fanbase. It seems things are picking back up around Van's, though - operations continue, and sound as if they've done record time in building, palleting, and shipping off kits to builders around the world. 

In other news, Van's says they'll once again make it out to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2024, as well as a few smaller Van's family fly-ins. Neither SUN 'N FUN 2024 nor Aero Friedrichshafen will be seeing a Van's booth this year - Some things might be a little too hard to float past the beancounters overseeing the Chapter 11 process. Factory Tours may return in due time, however, with a vague idea of starting back up come spring. 

FMI: www.vansaircraft.com