I just thought that it might be nice to have one thread where we can talk about this sad situation.

I, myself, thought that this had to be a rumor with no standing, by after a few e-mails with Vectorflight I can sadly confirm that it's true.

Here is the reply I received from John at Vectorflight:



Hi Larry:

Thanks so much! These emails are equally distressing for us!! And we are receiving a ton of them from long time customers who hate to see us close our doors even for a short time. Thank you all for your support.

The good news is that we are already planning to return. Most likely within the year. But we really have to take some time off now to invest resources into more cost effective manufacturing and new designs. There are two main reasons for our discontinuing at this point, and this is counter intuitive because we have always had more orders than we can fulfill with backlogs for as long as I remember. The main reason is that the Chinese made ARFs can come here very cheaply because they have locked their currency at 10 year old levels, essentially to make their products cheaper in the USA. This is a very unfair practice and they are under pressure by the rest of the world asking them to float their currency to reflect actual economic conditions. The other reason is that the US$ has been depreciating over the last few years which has significantly reduced our operating margins to an unsustainable level. Both of these factors are now being looked at very seriously by the decision makers in Washington and it is likely that things will improve soon. As soon as this happens you can be sure that we will return! This time off will also give us an opportunity to expand our product line which has been stalled for a long time. So please do not be frustrated, we sincerely appreciate your concern and we will be doing everything possible to restart as soon as possible.

If you wish to order another airplane or any spares for the time being, you should order them soon. We are still shipping and will do so for some time. Hopefully though you will not need anything for at least a year!

Best regards, and thanks again for your email and sentiments! These will go a long way with us!

John
VF




I know I speak for many here at RCU, when I say that I truly hope they do indeed come back...Stronger and better than before!

Vectorflight has always monitored this board closely, and would respond to any question/ concern in a very timely manner!

I never, not one single time, EVER felt I was dealing with a faceless, uncaring company that was just in it for the buck!

It's too bad this is happening, and I want to extend my gratitude and good wishes to everyone at Vectorflight...

Hope to see you all again in a short time...and remember...with the reputation you have created for yourselves with a practically Bullet Proof design, and the professionalism of your staff...as the saying goes...

"If You Build It....We Will Come"!!!

Fair skies and 73's

Larry