This is a real bummer of an update to have to make. Just as it was looking like we might be inching towards resolution to the laser cut parts debacle with hope of replacement parts that would allow building to resume, the company has announced that they are effectively suspending operations while they reorganize over the next couple of weeks (more likely months). The update informed the community that Van's Aircraft has only been kept afloat for the last few months by loans funded by founder Richard Vangrunsven and his wife. With the building community demanding replacement parts on the company's dime (and rightfully so), it is clearly no longer sustainable for them. Reading between the lines, it would appear that a bankruptcy filing is likely imminent, and if the company survives, likely large increases in kit prices. We shall wait to see what impact this will have on our project and the deposit we have in on the only kit we have yet to take delivery on - the finishing kit. We remain hopeful that Van's can weather this storm and continue to produce the greatest homebuilt kits on the market in general aviation.
In the meantime, we will likely be moving our current parts to storage and reorganizing the garage to tackle some home projects over the winter. Even if Van's is able to quickly determine a path forward, it is highly unlikely that we will receive replacement parts to move forward in any meaningful way in the next few months.
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