Kamenz, GERMANY — German Light-Sport Aircraft manufacturer Flight Design GmbH has expanded its operation to Kamenz (pronounced like “Commons”), Germany, and is now fully installed in new quarters.
“We are now occupying a big hangar plus a smaller structure used for pre-delivery flight testing. The new quarters are located at a former military base, 100 miles (160 km) south of Berlin with a 3,000 foot (1.000 m) paved runway,” noted Flight Design GmbH board member and company director Christian Wenger. “We are able to use the large hangar to stage finished aircraft after routine production and flight testing is complete. Once approved by engineers, Light-Sport Aircraft and European Ultralight aircraft are prepared for shipment to dealers in other countries or for pick up by European dealers and customers.”
Departments include work shops for avionics and engine installation, composite repairs and painting, plus final assembly after receiving major components from another division outside Germany.
The Kamenz facility takes over all responsibilities of Flight Design’s former Stuttgart center to further streamline operations, optimize costs, and reduce complexity in the manufacturing and distribution of CTLS Light-Sport Aircraft, company officials said.
Inside the main building, referred to as “Hangar 1,” the company has office space for the EASA Part 21J Design Organization (including engineering and flight test) and EASA Part 21G Production Organization (including quality management staff and Production Management), for which approval is expected shortly. The upper floor on the northeast side is occupied by Finance & Administration, including a meeting room and Directors office.
“Activity is high,” Wenger continued. “We hired additional staff since late 2013 at our Kamenz location and we have added mechanics and technical personnel recently.”
Wenger added that the larger facility and additional workers are helping to reduce back log as the company adjusts to higher demand following slower years during the global recession.
The company had previously done flight testing at a smaller remote facility but has also moved this function to the larger airport facility.
“Presently we employ 18 people in Kamenz,” Wenger said, “with 10 of them working on aircraft completion and delivery. The German company continues to own and operate a large component fabrication facility in Ukraine, which is constantly monitored and supervised by leading Flight Design personnel, including the directors.”
“Flight Design GmbH has been working diligently to increase production as orders rose throughout 2013,” noted Tom Peghiny, president of Flight Design USA, the official representative for the German aircraft maker. “Company directors reduced staff and inventories during the economic downturn, but it now appears we have solidly turned the corner. We are pleased to note the new Kamenz facility has already increased efficiency and quality by a significant margin.”
Flight Design is a 25-year-old manufacturer based in Germany. The company remains the worldwide Light-Sport Aircraft market leader thanks to its popular CT series of aircraft. More than 1,800 of these aircraft are flying in 39 countries. One of the first aircraft certified under ASTM International standards in 2005, the CT (“composite technology”) remains the top-selling LSA in America through eight consecutive years. Flight Design sold the first LSA to India and was the first LSA to earn Chinese Type Design Approval. Three times a CT has been flown around the world. In 2011, the German company unveiled its C4 four seat aircraft based on the CT technology.
For more information: FlightDesign.com
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Flight Design has its main production plant in Kherson in southern Ukraine, close to Crimea. They are no doubt concerned about events there and would be wise to consider moving production to Germany.