Pinecone Posted August 21 Report Posted August 21 I was at my airport today and was talking to the owner (A&P/IA) and he mentioned he had just ordered a part that is produced by Mooney. The person he ordered from mentioned he just got in under the wire. He was told that at the end of this month (Aug 25) LASAR would be the sole source for all Mooney parts. As the title states, this is totally a rumor at this point, but I did want to share.
toto Posted August 21 Report Posted August 21 There was a thread about this earlier in the summer - sounds like there have been some official confirmations. https://mooneyspace.com/topic/51648-lasar-mooney/ 1
Pinecone Posted August 21 Author Report Posted August 21 Maybe that is the basis. It may be mis communication
Ragsf15e Posted August 21 Report Posted August 21 4 hours ago, Pinecone said: Maybe that is the basis. It may be mis communication Yeah it’s definitely true! I had an order in for a 252 intake boot with Top Gun and they (mooney) wouldn’t fill it, but I was able to get lasar to pick it up and it’s supposedly drop shipping now. Price increased. 1
Tom F Posted 11 hours ago Report Posted 11 hours ago Brett the owner of Lasar spoke yesterday, 8/12/25 at the summit and said they are taking over parts manufacturing at Kerrville and they have taken over the factory lease there. They’re implementing updated manufacturing processes and will be manufacturing parts in earnest going forward. I know there has been some negative comments about this deal but they are the only ones that stepped forward and put the money in the game. While some may interpret an increase in parts costs negatively, consider no parts availability. He also mentioned Lasar, as a Mooney parts dealer purchased close to 80% of all the parts Mooney sold into distribution. He also mentioned they would have direct and distributor sales channels. After listening to his presentation and engaging him afterwards my thoughts are a lot more positive. They also presented a concept called Mooney Phoenix they are working on where they’ll be taking trades and purchasing airframes and totally refurbishing them with all the latest technologies, interiors, paint and engines and offering them as an option for a “like new” aircraft purchase. It’s an interesting concept it will be interesting to see how it catches on. They are definitely investing in the continued life of our aircraft in a way nobody else is and the fleet will hopefully live on much longer with their investment. 8
1980Mooney Posted 6 hours ago Report Posted 6 hours ago 4 hours ago, Tom F said: Brett the owner of Lasar spoke yesterday, 8/12/25 at the summit and said they are taking over parts manufacturing at Kerrville and they have taken over the factory lease there. They’re implementing updated manufacturing processes and will be manufacturing parts in earnest going forward. I know there has been some negative comments about this deal but they are the only ones that stepped forward and put the money in the game. While some may interpret an increase in parts costs negatively, consider no parts availability. He also mentioned Lasar, as a Mooney parts dealer purchased close to 80% of all the parts Mooney sold into distribution. He also mentioned they would have direct and distributor sales channels. After listening to his presentation and engaging him afterwards my thoughts are a lot more positive. They also presented a concept called Mooney Phoenix they are working on where they’ll be taking trades and purchasing airframes and totally refurbishing them with all the latest technologies, interiors, paint and engines and offering them as an option for a “like new” aircraft purchase. It’s an interesting concept it will be interesting to see how it catches on. They are definitely investing in the continued life of our aircraft in a way nobody else is and the fleet will hopefully live on much longer with their investment. Interesting. "taking over parts manufacturing at Kerrville and they have taken over the factory lease there. They’re implementing updated manufacturing processes". Didn't countless prior new owners and the Chinese previously tout that they were implementing updated manufacturing processes? November 2019 AOPA Magazine said "The Chinese owners invested heavily in modernizing production with new equipment and materials, " 2020 Aviation Consumer Magazine said If there’s a bright spot in any of this it’s that the Kerrville plant got a significant makeover on Meijing’s dime. When I last visited there in 2018, the old sheds had been reorganized, the parts manufacturing and tracking system had been upgraded, new production machinery had been installed and significant composite capability had been added. That alone puts Mooney in a good position to achieve its primary goal. LASAR "They’re implementing updated manufacturing processes" - Does that mean that they will no longer making hand made parts for our handmade aircraft? Don't forget that Don Maxwell posted on Facebook " I've seen the books, with the Kerrville overhead it cant make it making parts. Hard to say but its the truth. Hopefully Lasar's hat has a big rabbit in it. I wish them well as we all should." And "Mooney Phoenix" - trades and refurbishing old aircraft? Chinese news sources and the Kerrville Times reported back in 2013 that Meijing planned to "refurbish used aircraft for sale to other markets" and "carry out second-hand aircraft trading and renovation, focusing on Asian markets." The Chinese came with bags of money. I seriously doubt LASAR has any significant capital. They can't seem to replicate the manufacturing that LASAR did in California before their move. 1
Hank Posted 6 hours ago Report Posted 6 hours ago 15 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said: ... LASAR ... can't seem to replicate the manufacturing that LASAR did in California before their move. My understanding of the situation is that it's tied up with the FAA PMA approval, and getting the location changed from one FSDO to another, for each individual PMA part. Not related to LASAR'a abilities, processes or people, but caused by FAA red tape.
Tom F Posted 6 hours ago Report Posted 6 hours ago Valid points. Do you have anything helpful to the fleet to add? The Chinese did contribute. They also spent a substantial portion of the cash on the composite trainer only to drop it at the 11th hour. Long and short of it; what are your options. I will embrace the Lasar group and support their efforts until they give me a reason not to.
1980Mooney Posted 3 hours ago Report Posted 3 hours ago 2 hours ago, Tom F said: Valid points. Do you have anything helpful to the fleet to add? The Chinese did contribute. They also spent a substantial portion of the cash on the composite trainer only to drop it at the 11th hour. Long and short of it; what are your options. I will embrace the Lasar group and support their efforts until they give me a reason not to. The point is - be realistic. And they should be too. They are not going to institute "new manufacturing". More investment? Ridiculous. They should focus on cutting cost and getting it in line with inflow. They can supply parts using much less infrastructure. And this dream of taking planes in trade and refurbishing is a whole different business model. They are going to drown in negative cash flow. This is why companies restructure, some potentially successfully, in bankruptcy. 1
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