Executives at China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. find themselves “dividing the spoils” of Epic Air with pilots who were assembling kit-built aircraft at the Bend company’s plant when it went bankrupt last year.
According to a report in The Oregonian, U.S. bankruptcy Judge Randall Dunn put the odd bedfellows together Friday when he ruled that the Chinese company could buy Epic for $4.3 million — but only if it signed an agreement before April 8 to let a group of Epic customers restart and manage aircraft manufacturing in Bend. The story notes:
“If China Aviation fails to agree with the LT Builders Group by then, Dunn is prepared to let a third bidder — Harlow Aerostructures, of Kansas — buy Epic’s assets. Under either scenario, airplane building appears set to return to Bend, where the recession has taken an especially high toll.”
