A small utility plane developed by a Taiwan-US joint-venture aircraft manufacturing firm, will take off at a grand ceremony to be held in West Virginia in November, industry sources said over the weekend.
Lo Cheng-kuo (
"After more than two years of strenuous efforts, Tiger will be able to receive certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration in the next few days for volume production of our new AG5B small utility airplane," Lo said, who was in the San Francisco area to promote the new plane.
The four-seater, single-engine AG5B can fly for up to 800km without refueling and will sell for only US$219,500, Lo continued.
He noted that the US now has 6,000 similar small aircraft.
"Tiger has received orders for 48 AG5Bs," Lo said, adding that eight of them are scheduled to be delivered before the end of this year.
Lo said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington have sent the US civil aviation industry into a tailspin.
"Nevertheless, the terrorist assaults have brought new business opportunities to small plane manufacturers, as many globe-trotting lawyers, doctors, engineers and business executives now prefer to purchase or lease small aircraft for short and medium-range travel," Lo said.
Tiger's plant in West Virginia can produce 180 to 200 AG5Bs per year, Lo said, adding that the company plans to increase the number of its marketing centers in the US from the current four to 15 over the next few years. Tiger will also construct a maintenance and repair workshop in the middle of next year to enhance its after-sale service.
The company has paid-in capital of US$30 million, with US investors contributing 30 percent and the remaining stakes held by several Taiwan venture capital firms.
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