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SYMPHONY AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES CLOSES ITS DOORS
(JANUARY 25, 2005) – Dear
Symphony Aircraft Owners and Customers,
I
regret to inform you that Symphony Aircraft Industries has closed its doors.
Please see the attached letter from
Paul Costanzo
.
I
can only hope that the assets will be purchased out of bankruptcy by someone
who will move forward with new management and give the aircraft design the
chance it deserves. As I have always said and still believe, it is a
great product that just needs to have a good company behind it with proper
management and
marketing. I know you have much invested in your aircraft and are
concerned about its maintainability. I will do everything I can to
continue to support your needs. There is little on the aircraft that
can not be purchased, repaired, or fabricated using standard aircraft
materials or parts from the normal aircraft supply houses, so I do not
envision too much of a problem maintaining the aircraft in the future.
Please
feel free to call or email me with any questions.
Christian
Klix
SYMPHONY AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES RESPONDS TO ITS CUSTOMERS
SAI Announces “Doors-Off” Certification
Milan, IL (November 9, 2005) – In response to
numerous customer requests, Symphony Aircraft Industries (SAI) has announced that it has certified the Symphony SA 160 for
“doors-off” flights. The certification allows for the aircraft to fly
doors-off in two configurations: 1) with the passenger door removed, or 2)
with both doors removed. In either configuration, the aircraft’s cruise
speed is reduced by only 5.5%
The SA 160, which is a high-wing design featuring wing
strut attachments aft of the cabin doors, is an exceptionally modern and
economical photography platform making the removal of its doors the natural
thing to do.
In addition, doors-off certification of the SA 160 adds
another dimension to Symphony’s motto of certified fun, which Symphony’s
Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Tim Baldwin says is “like riding
around with the top down on a sunny summer day, with the freedom of the wind
in your hair. This exhilaration is truly another testament to fun flying in
the SA 160.”
SYMPHONY
AIRCRAFT CONTINUES TO EXPAND
INTO THE
FLIGHT SCHOOL MARKET
Flight
Schools Recognizing the Symphony 160 as the Ideal Training Aircraft
Milan, IL (November 4, 2005) – Symphony Aircraft
Industries (SAI), experts in the 2 Place aircraft, continues to expand into
the flight school training market. Becoming recognized as an ideal training
aircraft, a number of flight school customers are now operating and/or
purchasing Symphony 160s. A large number of other flight schools are also
expressing interest in the value of the innovative 2 Place aircraft.
SAI is pleased to announce that the following flight
schools have included the Symphony SA 160 into their flight lines –
Skyline Aeronautics, Palo Alto College and Magic Flight Training.
Skyline Aeronautics, a full-service flight school located
in St. Louis, Missouri, focusing on high technology aircraft and is a fan of
the SA 160 because of its new, modern look and the Avidyne Glass Cockpit.
"Symphony is the perfect aircraft filling a niche in
the general aviation (GA) market for TAA (Technologically Advanced Aircraft)
glass training on a more cost effective platform. This allows us to reach
down to the new aircraft purchase and pilot training candidates without
having to spend the quarter million dollars on the current fleet of TAA
training aircraft that are now available,” Michael Gaffney, Skyline
Aeronautics Owner.
Gaffney continues, “Skyline Aeronautics is proud to
work with Symphony Aircraft as their Factory Training Center to reach the GA
flying and training market with this exciting glass cockpit TAA aircraft.”
Palo Alto College, located in San Antonio, Texas, offers
Associated of Applied Science degrees in three tracks – Professional
Pilot, Aviation Management, and Aviation Security. “The Symphony SA 160 is
a new, great looking and affordable aircraft. It is very responsive, and an
excellent teaching aircraft with its unobstructed panel and superb pilot
visibility. The SA 160 quickly builds student confidence,” Kevin
Hankinson, Director/Instructor of Aviation. Instructors and students love
its flight characteristics and great looks.
Magic Flight Training, located in Jacksonville, Florida,
has a goal to be the best flight school and aircraft rental company in North
Florida. And the SA 160 is the perfect 2 Place aircraft to help them achieve
that goal. “The SA 160 is so fun to fly. Our students progress much faster
in this aircraft than in old-style 4 Place aircraft,” Peter Crooks, Chief
Pilot.
The Symphony 160, a FAR 23 certified two-seat aircraft offers a roomy,
cost-effective alternative to smaller, impractical four-place aircraft and
surpasses the definition of fun flying. Symphony 160s on a flight line
allows training facilities to stand out from other flight schools.
SYMPHONY
AIRCRAFT CHOOSES SKYLINE AERONAUTICS
TO DEVELOP
ITS 141 FITS TRAINING COURSE
SAI Offers
Advanced Training for Avidyne Glass Cockpit Buyers
Milan, IL (November 4, 2005) –
Symphony Aircraft Industries (SAI), experts in the 2 Place aircraft, has
chosen Skyline Aeronautics as its exclusive training developer and provider
for its 141 FITS Avidyne Glass Cockpit transition course. As a leader in
safety first principles, SAI is providing its customers high technology
transitional and instructional training before they take delivery of their
Symphony SA 160.
Skyline Aeronautics, a full-service professional flight
training school located in St. Louis, Missouri, was chosen by SAI because
they specifically focus on high technology aircraft. Skyline enjoys working
with the SA 160 because of its advanced technology, safety features and the
Avidyne Glass Cockpit.
"The SA 160 is the perfect aircraft filling a niche
in the general aviation (GA) market for TAA (Technologically Advanced
Aircraft) glass training on a more cost-effective platform. Skyline
Aeronautics is proud to work with SAI as their Factory Training Center to
reach the GA flying and training market with this exciting glass cockpit TAA
aircraft.” Michael Gaffney, Skyline Aeronautics Owner.
The training will include a two-day course that not only
requires time in the class room and flight training but also includes a
check flight/graduation ride showing that the student understood what they
learned and will continue to be safe in the air.
This type of training is powerful because it demands from
students more than just time sitting in a classroom by providing the
opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned before receiving
certification. Skyline has even been recognized by insurance carriers as a
leader in aeronautic training. Therefore, by participating in this safety
training, pilots can receive insurance discounts and safety rewards.
About Symphony Aircraft Industries Located within the world’s largest market, North
America, Symphony Aircraft Industries (SAI) holds Transport Canada, FAA and
EASA type certificates, along with Transport Canada production and
maintenance certificates. Through its design, engineering and production
capability and capacity, SAI is perfectly positioned to set the standards in
the worldwide 2 Place training market. The Symphony 160 platform, which is a
FAR 23 certified two-seat aircraft, offers a roomy and cost-effective
alternative to small, impractical four-place aircraft and surpasses the
definition of fun flying.
News Release in Aero-News Network April 21, 2005
Two Seaters Making Comeback
Competition is good for business... especially when that competition makes everyone look
good. For for too long, Diamond ruled the twin-seat roost with a line of
sexy and capable two seaters that offered excellent bang for the buck and
even better value. A number of announcements came and went in regards to a
number of pretenders to the throne -- some credible, some not. The revamped
Luscombe is still DOA, the Liberty XL-2 has seen more delays than a REALLY
bad day at Amtrak (and been mismanaged horribly), and the much vaunted
Symphony program stumbled visibly after financial woes forced a shutdown

But times have changed. Diamond
still rules, Luscombe is a ghost and the XL-2 still seems like a long
shot... but the lovely little Symphony is back... with a vengeance. The
Symphony SA 160 is a 2 place aircraft that offers 700 lbs. of useful load, a
150 mph cruise speed, a roomy and comfortable cabin, outstanding visibility,
a large baggage compartment and an elegant and modern look. Transport Canada
assumed responsibility as the "State of Design" and has issued the
Type and Production Certificates to Symphony Aircraft Industries. New
alliances include

-
A five-year alliance with Meggitt/S-TEC to provide autopilot technology as
factory-installed option
-
Avidyne Entegra, integrated flight deck glass cockpit
-
Ballistic Recovery System (BRS) whole aircraft recovery parachute system
Symphony expects to have two aircraft certificated to FAA Part 23 by the end of July, and customer
deliveries by September, 2005. Symphony expects production to eventually
grow to 200-500 aircraft per year. Prices include the Symphony SA-160 with
the VFR package for $139,900, a basic IFR version is $154,900, and a Glass
Panel IFR version (entirely replaces VFR equipment package) for $189,650.
The optional BRS ballistic parachute will be factory installed (pending
certification) for $18,500. Expect to see a lot these in circulation in
2006.
News Release in AOPA ePilot April 15, 2005
SYMPHONY BRINGS GLASS-COCKPIT TECHNOLOGY TO TRAINER
Symphony Aircraft Industries Inc. is taking
two-seat trainers to the next level thanks to long-term strategic agreements
with Avidyne, BRS, and Meggitt/S-TEC. The Symphony 160 can come equipped
with Avidyne's FlightMax Entegra glass-cockpit system, BRS's emergency
parachute, and S-TEC's autopilot. "I think we've got the new standard
for training in our hands," said Paul Costanzo, Symphony president and
CEO. The Entegra system for the Symphony 160 includes the EXP5000 primary
flight display (PFD), EX5000 multifunction display (MFD), and the EMax
Engine Indication System. The S-TEC System 30 will be a factory option on
the regular IFR-configured Symphony (starting at $154,900), while the S-TEC
System 55 will be for the Avidyne IFR-equipped aircraft (base-priced at
$189,650). First deliveries of the aircraft with all the new options are
scheduled for September 2005. The BRS parachute system option costs $18,500.
Symphony
Aircraft Industries Takes Flight
And
Prepares to Ramp Up Production of the Symphony Line of Aircraft
Three Rivers, Quebec – July 13, 2004
– The future is bright for the Symphony line of aircraft. After nearly
seven months of hard work, all the pieces are now in place for Symphony
Aircraft Industries (SAI) to move forward with the Symphony line of
aircraft.
SAI has completed the
acquisition of all the assets of OMF Canada. The company has also reached an
agreement with OMF Flugzeugwerke GmbH (OMFDE), the German company that
acquired the assets of the old German company OMF GmbH. SAI and OMFDE have
concluded a strategic alliance, and will work together to make the Symphony
line of aircraft successful around the world. As a result of this alliance:
- Symphony
Aircraft will become the owner of the type design for the Symphony 160,
effective July 16.
- OMFDE
will produce and sell Symphony aircraft in
Europe,
Africa and the Middle East.
- The
two companies will become centers of excellence in various aspects of
the manufacturing process, and will supply components to each other.
“It has been a long and
arduous journey, and we are extremely gratified with the results,” said
Paul Costanzo, President of Symphony Aircraft Industries. “All of us at
Symphony Aircraft are looking forward to a bright future.”
Background
That journey began on
December 9, 2003, when OMF GmbH declared bankruptcy in German. OMF Canada ceased operations
in January 2004. In April 2004, OMFDE acquired the assets of the former OMF
GmbH, while SAI purchased all the assets of the former OMF Canada in June
2004.