No Support Or Parts Available From Precision
Aircraft owners, mechanics and
builders who were planning on purchasing from Precision Airmotive
LLC will be disappointed to hear that the company has discontinued
sales of all float carburetors and component parts as of November
1, 2007.
Precision Airmotive LLC and its 43 employees currently
manufacture and support the float carburetors used in nearly all
carbureted general aviation aircraft flying today. Precision has
been the manufacturers of these carburetors since 1990.
The company cites their "inability to obtain product liability
insurance" as the reason for the immediate action.
The company's carburetors have a long history of reliability but
a lack of insurability has forced the company to quit making them
available, according to a company statement.
"These FAA-approved carburetors were designed as early as the
1930s and continue to fly over a million flight hours a yea. After
decades of service, the reliability of these carburetors speaks for
itself," a release said.
"Nonetheless, Precision has seen its
liability insurance premiums rise dramatically, to the point that
the premium now exceeds the total sales dollars for this entire
product line. In the past, we have absorbed that cost, with the
hope that the aviation industry as a whole would be able to help
address this issue faced by Precision Airmotive, as well as many
other small aviation companies. Our efforts have been
unsuccessful."
"This year, despite the decades of reliable service and despite
the design approval by the Federal Aviation Administration,
Precision Air motive has been unable to obtain product liability
insurance for the carburetor product line. While we firmly believe
that the product is safe, as does the FAA, and well-supported by
dedicated people both at Precision and at our independent product
support centers, unfortunately the litigation costs for defending
the carburetor in court are unsustainable for a small business such
as Precision."
Precision Airmotive will no longer sell, or offer product
support, or parts for its float carburetors, and said that it has
notified engine manufacturers in hopes to reduce the impact of the
part loss to general aviation.
The company says there is a substantial quantity of parts and
carburetors stocked at their distributors, which should be
sufficient to support the industry for a short time.