Adam Aircraft has shut down ALL operations for the moment... pending future decisions on the part of those holding the purse strings. Officials representing the decision-makers (i.e., the lenders) for Adam Aircraft ordered the doors shut, while personnel were told to go home and await further instructions, as of today (Monday, 11.02.08).

While information remains sketchy until further details emerge (and are promised momentarily), negotiations have been ongoing for some weeks now, in search of a funding solution for Adam's continued development and production plans. Those efforts have failed to achieve a feasible result.

As a result, a decision was made to shut the doors. This decision has been made 'pending any possible future funding solutions' in order to preserve what cash remains while they await what may be (hopefully) a more positive set of decisions. Please note that Adam spokespersons maintain that they do hold out hope for a possible restart in the not-too-distant future and confirmed that negotiations for possible funding solutions continue at this time.

That's unfortunate, I have a bizarre infatuation with the A500.

  Shame about Adam, but I personally doubt if we will ever see them make it through to production, the inevitable shake out in the VLJ producers is just starting to happen, there has always appeared to be too many hopefuls chasing a very nebulous market. Some of the market predictions have been way over the top, so for the sake of argument, here's my prediction of the VLJ market over the next few years;

  Cessna Mustang-in production, years of experience and smooth introduction meam it will go from strength to strength and become the yardstick for the market.

 Eclipse EA500- should make it now, just. Seems to be recovering from the vital phase of getting into production, so cash -flow from deliveries and deposits will see them OK. Will be the most interesting to watch...

  Embraer Phenom 100-with the backing of a major manufacturer should be OK, they seem very committed, and progress is rapid, dealer networks established, so will deliver to customers.

I would suggest that these 3 will dominate the market for many years for VLJs, long shots to get established would be the Hondajet, which has good backing, but will be too late entering the market, and lacks market experience and will have to earn customer acceptance. I wish Action Aviation luck with the SJ30, a lovely aeroplane, but still a long way to go to get market acceptance. The Grob SPn looks to have good backing, so may well make it through to production.

 Of the others, the Javelin has gone recently, it looks like the Adam has gone, and others like the Diamond Jet, Spectrum etc will find the market just too tough. So I reckon that there will ony be 3-4 players in the VLJ market in 5 years.

 An interesting web-site here;

http://taxijet.org/Research.html

An interesting discussion on here about the fact that insurers are very reluctant to insure many of these types, they have only just been persuaded to take on the Eclipse, so if you cannot get insurance for certain types, they are not going to sell.

Eclipse

 

 

 

 

I would tend to agree Eclispe...I think Adam Aircraft was doomed from the start, with the big manufacturers and big money spends on the VLJ market a smaller company had no chance.

The Mustang was the first of its class to receive full type certification in Nov 2006, and it gained this within 12 months of it's first flight, some going!!. It was the first VLJ to be delivered to a customer, and makes Cessna the first company to obtain an FAA Production Certificate for a VLJ. This aircraft already has a hefty order book with over 250 and sold out till 2009

I also think the Embraer Phenom 100 will be very successful in this market having already gone through the first test flight back in July 2007. and due for certification this year. Again another healthy order book with over 300 orders placed.

Grob and Spectrum also have the fact that they lost prototypes against them, particularly since both accidents had fatalities.