Mooney Corporate Status

[mooniac227]

For those of you that don't use the MAPA email forum (wish they'd move over here!) the following was posted today by Trey Hughes, Executive Director of the Moony Aircraft Pilots Association.  I'm sure he wouldn't mind me sharing it as it gives an overview of the status of things in Kerrville:

"There have been several new issues affecting the Mooney factory in Kerrville
and these have caused a rash of new rumors to circulate the internet the
past two days. The fact is, the economy sucks! As I wrote in the LOG,
everyone in the airplane business has suffered varying degrees of loss
during this economic downturn - read recession. All aircraft manufacturers
have gone through downsizing and layoffs including Mooney. At my last
count, there remained about 30 - 40 folks in Kerrville and all the "outside"
Kerrville offices had been closed. Production has ceased (it makes no sense
to keep making airplanes if you can't sell them) and the manufacturing folks
have been laid off. The paint shop is closed; the completion center is
silent; marketing has been curtailed; engineering R & D has stopped - all in
an attempt to get a handle on overhead while the slump in new aircraft sales
continues.

Of course this is very unfortunate for all those who lost jobs and we will
keep them in our prayers as the company moves forward in an attempt to
continue until better times.

However, some things are still working in Kerrville and MAC management has
assured me that they will continue to support the existing fleet as long as
possible. Parts manufacturing and support is still staffed and your service
center can still order what you need for your current production or legacy
Mooney. Warrantee support is still in operation. Aircraft sales is still
in operation and there is inventory available for anyone interested in a new
Ovation or Acclaim. Tech support and customer support are still offering
services to owners. Product support engineering is still there as is flight
test and certification. While Mooney is not in production, they still have
the type and production certificates and are communicating continuously with
the FAA on fleet status. Mooney has entered a state of hibernation (their
term) at the factory in order to keep overhead as low as possible without
significantly affecting sales and support. They have positioned things in
Kerrville so that they can affect a timely "awakening" then the economy
shows signs of recovery.

As you would expect, with only a handful of people still staffing the
various departments and phones in Kerrville, those still there are
multi-tasking and sometimes are not at their regular numbers. Patience is
important for anyone calling the factory with an inquiry. If necessary,
leave a voice mail or better yet send an email to the individual you are
wishing to contact. Email addresses are easy - first initial followed by
last name @mooney.com should work. If you are still having problems call
the MAPA office and we will attempt to intervene.

By the way, those who have tried to log on to the Mooney website or connect
to the Service Bulletin/Service Letter link on the MAPA website will notice
that Mooney's server is down. This is an unfortunate coincidence (timing is
everything!) because it is an actual technical problem and not related to
the economic reduction at Mooney.

If anyone has any questions or fears, please call me at MAPA and I will try
to help.

Regards,

Trey Hughes
Executive Director
Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association"