29 January 2007
Symphony Aircraft Industries, the company behind the Symphony SA160, has been forced to file for bankruptcy after one of its major backers reportedly pulled funding. The aircraft was being built in Canada, although the company itself is a US one. Originally, Symphony OMF had been a German concern, intending to create a certified version of the Glastar.
The FAR 23 certified aircraft – a roomy all-composite two-seater with a 160 hp Lycoming O-320, a Vne of 162 knots and IFR-equipped price tag of $165,000 – had shipped 45 examples over the course of four years (and only five last year).
However, not all is doom and gloom: some insiders close to Symphony believe that the aircraft is too good to be forgotten about; that there may yet be a way in which funding may be found to bring the company back to life; and anyway, in the meantime <a href=’http://www.libertyaircraft.com/’ target=’_blank’>Liberty Aerospace</a> has offered to honour any deposits that potential Symphony owners (and, incidentally, potential owners of recently closed Tiger Aircraft ) might have paid.
