Company Also Rehiring Laid-Off Workers, Plans To Hire More

Following years of sometimes-choppy operations, a small Altus, OK-based planemaker might finally be heading for smoother skies. Quartz Mountain Aerospace recently earned a significant milestone on its way towards having its name associated with the likes of Cessna, or Mooney: the company earned its first airworthiness certificate from the FAA.

NewsOK.com reports that accomplishment follows other noteworthy events... including the rehiring of 20 QMA employees laid off last year, and plans to ultimately hire another 125 more. With the ability to now produce sell its Luscombe 11E en masse, Quartz Mountain's 110,000-square-foot work floor -- eerily quiet just eight months ago -- is now filled with the noises of a busy production facility.

"We have such excitement on that shop floor right now," said QMA chied executive Mark Arciero, chief executive of Quartz Mountain Aerospace. "Now we can start selling the aircraft, which is huge."

Like with innumerable other upstart planemakers, QMA's trip to this point hasn't been an easy one. As ANN reported in June 2007, Quartz Mountain attributed the need for layoffs to delays in FAA inspections related to earning production certification, and various parts, training, and supply issues.

"People don't get into this business for a reason -- it's time consuming," Arciero said. "If it were easy, everyone would do it."

In addition to producing parts for the 11E -- a nosewheel-equipped variant of the storied Luscombe 11 Sedan -- QMA also fabricates parts for outside clients. The company maintains close ties with nearby Southwest Technology Center, which helps provide a skilled work force for QMA.

"They have sheet metal classes just for us," Arciero said. Upon completion, students have the opportunity to spend a two-week class at the planemaker, to learn the nuances of assembling the Luscombe 11E.

Quartz Mountain has also taken recent steps to show it's serious about playing in the big leagues. As ANN reported earlier this week, QMA announced it will be the first to offer Garmin's G950 glass-panel avionics suite.

FMI: www.qmaero.com