 | |
| Type | Private Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | Ayres Corporation |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | United States/Internationally |
Key people | Mark McDonald (President) |
| Website | thrushaircraft |
Thrush Aircraft, Inc. is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Albany, Georgia. It currently manufactures the Thrush series of agricultural aircraft.
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Testimonial: Stanley Logue, VP Product Finance, Thrush Aircraft, Albany, GA
Transcription
My name is Stan Logue, and I am Vice President of Product Finance for Thrush Aircraft. We are a builder of crop dusters, uh, located in south Georgia in a little town called Albany. And the company has been around for many years, uh, since the mid 60s. In 2010 we delivered 22 planes. In 2011 we delivered 36. We are on target to deliver 48 to 50 this year. When you have 60 to 70% of your sales international, then Ex-Im can play an important part of that. And then it's becoming an increasingly important tool as we move forward. Our customers--some have private financing, some are paying cash, and others are looking for assistance. When they look for assistance, they certainly ask us. And that is where Ex-Im has come in and been important to us. As I have said, our production has been increasing and, and so have the number of jobs that we're able to provide. When I have to the company in 2011, I believe I was the 90th employee. We are now 150 employees and we are growing. Uh, as the company grew and as the exports grew, we began using Ex-Im. Ex-Im--our first transaction was a plane that we sold to Kenya. It was actually a buyer credit so that our customer worked with a banking institution here in the U.S., uh, to obtain financing. And there was a guarantee on that loan. We have transitioned over time as we have sold more planes, uh, be it to Argentina, Brazil. Those have transitioned where we are using the supplier credit. And we are providing financing for the planes and insuring those transactions through Ex-Im. Not all of our customers, uh, enjoy having private financing available to them. It's become increasingly important for Thrush to be able to provide financing. With Thrush providing the financing, Ex-Im plays an integral part because it's only because of Ex-Im's insurance products that we can provide financing. We assured of liquidity for the company and continued growth by having that insurance product.
History
Rockwell International originally built the facility in 1965 and operated it until it was purchased by Ayres Corporation on 23 November 1977. In July 2001, Ayres filed for bankruptcy and the rights to the S-2 aircraft were passed to Quality Aerospace.[1] In 2003, the factory was purchased by Larry Bays and Payne Hughes, and one month later Quality Aerospace transferred the type certificates of the S-2 to Thrush Aircraft.[2][3] In 2005, the company had 150 employees.[4] By 2013, this had increased to 185.[5]
The 510 was introduced in 2009.[6] The first two examples of the 510G Switchback, a variant designed for firefighting were delivered to the Georgia Forestry Commission in 2017.[7]
The company entered bankruptcy protection in September 2019 for the second time, intending to restructure and emerge in a better financial position. The company laid-off 113 employees as part of the process.[8] As a result of the restructuring, Mark McDonald was named CEO.[9]
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thrush 510 | Single engine agricultural monoplane | ||
| Thrush 550 | Single engine agricultural monoplane | ||
| Thrush 710 | Single engine agricultural monoplane |
See also
References
- ^ "Directory: world airliners". Flight International. 12–18 November 2002. p. 46.
- ^ "Thrush Aircraft has good jobs soaring again". WALB News 10. 2 October 2003. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A3SW" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "South Georgia company proud of its crop-dusting planes". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Associated Press. 8 May 2005. p. F3. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Nay, Don (28 August 2013). "Exporting is Good for GA. Businesses". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 16A. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Fletcher, Carlton (20 November 2009). "Thrush introduces next generation of ag aircraft". AlbanyHerald.com. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Lews, Terry (18 December 2017). "Georgia's Forestry Service Gets Newest Firefighting Aircraft". The Telegraph. p. 3A. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Niles, Russ (29 September 2019). "Thrush Aircraft in Bankruptcy". AVweb. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Thrush Aircraft Re-Emerges". AgAir Update. Marsayl Media. June 2020. pp. A10–A13. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
External links
This page was last edited on 15 November 2020, at 23:35