Quicksilver Aircraft, which recently launched the LSA qualified Sport 2SE, is shutting down its production facility in Temecula, California. Quicksilver's president Will Escutia told Flying sales have dropped 25 percent in the past year from a level he described as already being at a "breaking point."
The company has produced more than 15,000 ultralights and LSAs over its 42-year history. With that many aircraft on the market, Escutia said Quicksilver was competing against its own used airplanes, which would sell for half the cost of a new one. Escutia and his business partner Daniel Perez took over the company less than five years ago.
Escutia said he hopes the intellectual property will be taken over and that the aircraft can continue to be produced. Light aircraft industry expert Dan Johnson reported that the assets of the company will go on auction on November 3. Quicksilver is also working with Reserve, Louisiana-based AirTech Inc., Quicksilver's main dealer, to ensure the continued support for the fleet of existing aircraft.
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