Looks like this post is from somebody at the company ..
www.avcom.co.za
Bottom line is sales have fallen consistently over the years.
The reasons for this can be attributed to many things but a big part of this is due to the change in LSA regs in the USA making our aircraft less attractive, as bigger, heavier and more complex aircraft will be operated by sport pilots license holders. A clapped out old C150 costs a fraction of a new BushCat but without taking STOL performance into consideration, will do a similar job.
A few years ago we were caught with our pants down when we realised there were some conformance issues with regards to flight performance. These "issues" did not jeopardise the safety of the aircraft but simply put, the BushCat did not legally fit within ASTM LSA regs so while other manufacturers were looking at new designs that would capitalise on the new MOSAIC program, we went public on our findings and spent several million on re-designing our empennage, flight testing and then retrofitting these design changes to the existing fleet of about 100 affected aircraft all around the world. (All of this during the early Covid years adding extra challenges, delays and cost to the project).
Looking back now perhaps we could have done things differently but we felt we were doing the right thing at the time. The net result is that we had no reserves to put into R&D of a new design .... and no good deed goes unpunished as they say.
The existing fleet is 300+ strong worldwide. So while there is no plan to supply new aircraft going forward, we are gearing the company to supply current owners of BushCat and Cheetah aircraft with spare parts as needed so that they will receive full support going forward.
Oh, you meant the proposed Mosaic regs. Maybe, maybe not. We won’t know until 2025. There is still a lot of flux in the rule-making. I think it’s mostly eyewash from RSR. After all, the competition is hot for any used plane right now. Sport Pilots would have to compete with established Pilots for any ragged out C-150.
The truth is, in the US most sport pilots are “step down” pilots, closer to 65 than 35 yoa.
https://pilotinstitute.com/pilot-age-statistics/ Myself, included. We’re a more affluent demographic and were attracted to sport piloting because of the newer equipment, great avionics packages, the superior Rotax 912ULS…oh….and the Fly with your Driver’s License as Medical requirement. (Sport Pilot didn’t really work out the way it was imagined). So, I imagine, that flying a ragged out 172 with just one passenger anyway, isn’t nearly as appealing to that demographic. I stepped over from an Aeronca Champ for those reasons and because I could finally afford to buy a new plane. (Passing money on to the next generation isn’t in my plan).
The real fly in the Metamucil from South Africa was the shipping of RTF (ready to fly) aircraft. G-meters in the containers frequently maxed out at over 30+ Gs in shipping to the US. Almost every plane that arrived suffered substantial damage, including broken engine mounts with the Rotax coming completely off the plane. Wings, shipped detached, were often deformed or destroyed. Almost every plane required substantial rework, which was nearly as time consuming as a build from scratch (it takes 2 weeks just to strip the skins and then reapply them). This situation also engendered understandable concerns from buyers who paid for a new aircraft having to decide to accept a damaged and repaired “new” airplane, or get a refund and eat the year or so they waited. Jeremy started importing RTF again to try and close the production gap, but it all collapsed before he could get that moving.
Also, the quality of the builds from SA were (are) …less than ideal. The word “Shabby” comes to mind. Closing the door on my Jeremy built BushCat is like closing the door on a Mercedes. With the SA planes, you could pass a stack of bills around between the door and the frame without resistance.
This all left Jeremy to build from scratch using kits, and frankly, he couldn’t keep up during the pandemic & supply chain issues (my build went from “about a year” to taking delivery at 2.5 years, for instance. When the “just in time” supply chain broke down, Jeremy was stuck with 3 planes on skates waiting for months for tires from Asia, for instance).
Unfortunately, Jeremy was creating Mazaratti builds at Camry prices. I’ve threatened to put a sticker on my BushCat, “Handcrafted by Jeremy.”
The margins on BushCat were not such that he could hire and train help. And he couldn’t keep the ones he did hire, as wages went up after the pandemic.
After the last price increase on kits from SA, I don’t think Aerosport sold a single plane at KOSH this last Summer. OTOH, Eastern European planes, like the Aeroprak (sp), despite the wars nearby, was able to hold the price on both delivery and price.
www.twz.com