Having spent $1 million+ and taken delivery of a handful of aircraft, Adam Aircraft owners, including New Mexico’s state police which recently took its fifth Adam 500 for its surveillance missions, are faced with an airplane with no support and no manufacturer to supply parts, according to a recent Associated Press story. The recent attempt to resurrect the company under AAIA, did not include A500 support, but it also faltered within six months. Related Story
“Eventually the parts will become time limited and the aircraft will become grounded. Ultimately, that is probably what will happen," Mike Hackett, a retired airline pilot from St. Helena, Calif. told AP. His plane has already reached its limits with no way to buy replacement parts. However, state police aircraft can continue to operate under the “public use” regulations and have a factory trained technician on hand for servicing.
“That leaves Dr. Gilbert Kliman, a San Francisco psychiatrist, up in the air, so to speak,” reported AP. He planned to use his A500 for travel across the country in his psychiatric consulting practice. But now he can't safely fly in bad weather. ‘I'm stuck because I owe the bank the majority of the cost of this $1.25 million airplane,’ he said, ‘whereas it's value may be one or two hundred thousand dollars of parts right now.’”