Liberty Aerospace
Encyclopedia
Liberty Aerospace is a manufacturer of general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

 aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

 based in Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...

.

The company produces one model, the Liberty XL2
Liberty XL2
The Liberty XL2 is a two-seat, low-wing, general aviation aircraft manufactured by Liberty Aerospace of Melbourne, Florida for the personal transportation, touring and flight training roles.-Development:...

, an advanced two-seat touring aircraft based on the British-designed Europa
Europa XS
The Europa XS and Europa Classic are a family of British composite two-place low-wing monoplanes, manufactured by Europa Aircraft and supplied as kits for amateur construction. More than 450 Europas have been completed....

 homebuilt
Homebuilt
The term homebuilt is used to describe machines built outside of specialised workshops or factories. It can mean different things such as kit cars or homebuilt computers, but normally it pertains to homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes. Homebuilt aircraft or kit...

 airplane. The XL2 design received FAA production certification in the spring of 2006 and commenced sales in North America and the European market.

Key Personnel

Liberty's key personnel in 2006 were:
  • President & Chief Executive Officer: Keith Markley
  • Chief Operating Officer: Paul Bartlett
  • Chief Financial Officer: Scott Meder
  • General Counsel: Margaret Napolitan

History

Liberty Aerospace, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware For-Profit Corporation on October 6, 2000 (File # 3299031). Liberty Aerospace, Inc. was registered as a Florida Foreign For-Profit Corporation on April 7, 2004 (Doc # F03000001707). Liberty Aerospace Holdings, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware For-Profit Corporation on April 23, 2004 (File # 3517687).

In October 2004, the Kuwait Finance House, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House of Bahrain, acquired 75% of Liberty Aerospace for approximately US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

60 million.

April 2008 outsourcing to Romania

In a news release issued in April 2008, Liberty Aerospace CEO Keith Markley announced that some of the 180 employees at the Melbourne, Florida manufacturing facility will lose their jobs when the company starts outsourcing aircraft production to Romania. He indicated that the company will maintain its headquarters in Melbourne, but it is not clear how many employees will be still be employed by the company in the USA.

August 2008 special certification review controversy

In August 2008 the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

, in releasing information on a Special Certification Review (SCR) that was being conducted on Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet....

, also listed Liberty Aerospace as undergoing an SCR. The company quickly denied that they were subject to an SCR and asked the FAA to retract the statement.

The FAA clarified that Liberty was not under an SCR, but was subject to an unspecified special review of another type.

Liberty Aerospace General Counsel and Safety and Compliance Officer Margaret Napolitan said: "It's a commercial dispute. It has nothing to do with the safety of the aircraft." Neither the company nor the FAA have released any further information.

2008-10 Global Economic Situation

In November 2008, responding to the global economic crisis, Liberty announced a package of incentives for aircraft buyers who bought a Liberty XL2 before 31 December 2008. The added incentives included free fuel for 125 flying hours, free scheduled maintenance for 125 flying hours, free insurance and five hours of free flight training. The company also matched deposits made on competing aircraft up to $5,000 for buyers who chose a Liberty aircraft over a competitor's product.

In February 2009 the company announced that it will create an independent division called Liberty Composites that will market its composite construction skills outside the aviation industry.

By March 2009 the company had laid off all but 32 workers of its previous 180-person workforce, citing the global economic situation that has resulted in a sharp decline in sales. CEO Keith Markley indicated the company intends to rehire its workers when conditions permit. The company had delivered a total of 100 XL-2s by the end of February 2009.

The company decided to offer its fleet of eight demonstrator aircraft for sale in December 2009 at deeply discounted prices.

In April 2011 the company consolidated its operations in Melbourne, Florida by giving up expiring leases on two of its five buildings. The company continues to supply parts for their fleet in the field and build aircraft to order.

External links

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