Tiger Aircraft
Encyclopedia
Tiger Aircraft LLC was an American
aircraft manufacturer from 1999 to 2006 based in Martinsburg, West Virginia
, United States
.
to production. Tiger Aircraft followed in the footsteps of Grumman American, Gulfstream American
and American General Aviation Corporation
in manufacturing the Tiger.
Tiger Aircraft ceased operations by November 2006 and filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.
By the middle of 2006 Tiger Aircraft was experiencing financial problems, production of AG-5Bs had been halted and production workers laid off. By November 2006 the company employed only two workers and owed $115,000 in back taxes to the municipality. On November 30th, 2006 it was announced that the Tiger Aircraft buildings were for sale. Tiger Aircraft filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.
avionics.
In November 2007 True Flight announced plans to construct a new production facility at the Valdosta, Georgia
Airport and commence production of parts first.
The company displayed at Sun 'n Fun
2008 and indicated that they would produce the AG-5B Tiger first. The company indicated that it will later expand the line of aircraft models available.
In early 2009 the company decided to move to an existing vacant production facility in Quitman, Georgia
, rather than proceed with constructing new facilities at Valdosta. This decision was prompted by the on-going economic situation, delays imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration
as part of a runway extension at Valdosta and an attractive offer to relocate from the Quitman municipal government. At Sun 'n Fun
2009 in April the company announced that it expected to start production of AG-5Bs by mid-summer 2009. True Flight exhibited at AirVenture 2009 in July. At Sun 'n Fun in April 2010 the company gave an update on progress, although production had still not commenced at that time.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft manufacturer from 1999 to 2006 based in Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The company was established in 1999 with the aim of returning the AG-5B TigerGrumman American AA-5
The US Grumman American AA-5 series is a family of all-metal, 4-seat, light aircraft used for touring and training. The line includes the original American Aviation AA-5 Traveler, the Grumman American AA-5 Traveler, AA-5A Cheetah, and AA-5B Tiger, the Gulfstream American AA-5A Cheetah, and AA-5B...
to production. Tiger Aircraft followed in the footsteps of Grumman American, Gulfstream American
Gulfstream Aerospace
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is a producer of several models of jet aircraft. Gulfstream has been a unit of General Dynamics since 1999.The company has produced more than 1,500 aircraft for corporate, government, private, and military customers around the world...
and American General Aviation Corporation
American General Aviation Corporation
American General Aircraft Corporation, also known as AGAC, was an aircraft manufacturer based in Greenville, Mississippi between the late 1980s and 1993....
in manufacturing the Tiger.
Tiger Aircraft ceased operations by November 2006 and filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.
Financial difficulties
Tiger Aircraft was headed by President and Chief Operating Officer N. Gene Criss between August 25th, 2003 and early August 2006. Criss was fired by the board for allegedly selling the assets of the company to Network Hosts without authority. The four companies that owned Tiger Aircraft applied to a West Virginia Circuit Court at that time for a restraining order to prevent further sales and also to declare the previous deals invalid.By the middle of 2006 Tiger Aircraft was experiencing financial problems, production of AG-5Bs had been halted and production workers laid off. By November 2006 the company employed only two workers and owed $115,000 in back taxes to the municipality. On November 30th, 2006 it was announced that the Tiger Aircraft buildings were for sale. Tiger Aircraft filed for bankruptcy in January 2007.
Products
Tiger Aircraft received FAA Part 23 certification for the AG-5B in 2001 and its production certificate in 2002. 51 AG-5B Tigers were produced between 2001 and 2006, with only three being completed in 2006. The last few aircraft were delivered with Garmin G1000Garmin G1000
The Garmin G1000 is an integrated flight instrument system manufactured by Garmin typically composed of two display units, one serving as a primary flight display, and one as a multi-function display...
avionics.
Asset acquisition by True Flight Aerospace
The Federal Bankruptcy Court approved the sale of Tiger Aircraft assets to True Flight Holdings LLC, now operating as True Flight Aerospace , on August 2, 2007. The assets included aircraft type certificates for the former Grumman American light aircraft AA-1 family and AA-5 family , tooling, aircraft building equipment, intellectual property rights, inventories of existing parts and raw materials.In November 2007 True Flight announced plans to construct a new production facility at the Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
Airport and commence production of parts first.
The company displayed at Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun is a "Fly-in" and airshow held annually at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, usually during the second or third week of April....
2008 and indicated that they would produce the AG-5B Tiger first. The company indicated that it will later expand the line of aircraft models available.
In early 2009 the company decided to move to an existing vacant production facility in Quitman, Georgia
Quitman, Georgia
This article is about the Georgia city. For the county in the same state see Quitman County, Georgia.Quitman is a city in Brooks County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,638 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Brooks County....
, rather than proceed with constructing new facilities at Valdosta. This decision was prompted by the on-going economic situation, delays imposed by 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...
as part of a runway extension at Valdosta and an attractive offer to relocate from the Quitman municipal government. At Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun is a "Fly-in" and airshow held annually at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, usually during the second or third week of April....
2009 in April the company announced that it expected to start production of AG-5Bs by mid-summer 2009. True Flight exhibited at AirVenture 2009 in July. At Sun 'n Fun in April 2010 the company gave an update on progress, although production had still not commenced at that time.
External links
- www.tigeraircraft.com Former location of Tiger Aircraft Corporate website
- Tiger Aircraft website archives on Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- True Flight website