Cites Future Growth, Enhanced Customer Service, Focus On
Evolution Turboprop
The new majority owner and Chairman of LCTI/Lancair
International announced the injection of new operating capital and
a new management team at aircraft manufacturer Lancair
International last week. "We are focused on the future," said
Mr. Gene Wolstenholme. "We have a world-class product in our 320
knot, $1.2 million Evolution owner-built aircraft. With five
aircraft flying, and 24 customer orders, we're off to a great start
and we are going to focus on pushing through this down-economy and
getting our incredible airplane to market."
Lancair Evolution File Photo
In announcing the new ownership, Mr. Wolstenholme also announced
new company leadership. Mr. Wolstenholme will be LCTI/Lancair
International Chairman, and Robert Wolstenholme was named
President & CEO of LCTI/Lancair International. "I have
been associated with Lancair aircraft since 1990. Flying is, and
has always been my passion and this new partnership is a chance to
bring our proven management skills together with Lancair's high
performance products with a focus on customer satisfaction."
Bob comes from an extensive background in manufacturing.
Wolstenholme Machine located in Colmar, PA, specializes in
precision parts for the medical, aerospace, and telecommunication
industries. Subsidiary WMrobots designs and builds robots for bomb
disposal and mine detectors for the US and Canadian markets. Bob
built and flies his own award winning Lancair IVP. As President
& CEO, Bob Wolstenholme will oversee all business &
management functions of LCTI/Lancair International.
Tom Bowen, whose General Aviation management and engineering
experience spans 3 decades, will continue to head company
operations management and is the principal spokesman for the
company. He said, "This is a real win for general aviation and
Lancair customers. But it is an even a bigger win for Lancair
employees, their families, and the communities of Redmond and Bend,
Oregon. It is no secret that the Central Oregon area
continues to suffer through double digit unemployment, and this
once vibrant aerospace manufacturing center has also suffered with
the failures of Epic and Columbia. I am determined to do
everything I can to maintain Lancair as a world-class company and
to grow it into the future as we continue to design, build and
service premium aircraft."
Joe Bartels, CEO of LCTI/Lancair International, since 2003,
resigned as President and CEO according to the terms of a June 7,
2010, investment agreement, and will remain a minority percentage
owner of LCTI/Lancair International. "Joe did a great job
overseeing development of the Evolution aircraft," said Bob
Wolstenholme, "and we now need to move ahead and expand the
manufacturing infrastructure and training programs to support the
Evolution product line."