Adam A500: Push Me, Pull Me, Revive Me?

One of the last decade’s more heartbreaking stories for aviators involves Adam Aircraft, and programs for its A500 pressurized piston twin and the A700 very light jet (VLJ). Adam Aircraft Industries (AAI) brought its push me/pull you mockup to AirVenture in 1999, looking for investors and potential customers. Ten years later, after certifying and delivering a handful of A500s, the company is no more, having ceased operations and filed for liquidation in February 2008. But there may be a new saviour on the horizon: The A500 FAA type certificate recently became property of Triton America LLC, an Anacortes, WA-based company. According to Gerard Kenney of the A500 Owners Association, Triton America representative Thomas Hsueh is attending AirVenture Oshkosh 2009, and may restart A500 production.

According to Kenney and based on several conversations the owner had as recently as this week with the Triton America representative, Hsueh has indicated he wants to return the A500 to production. How, when, where and under what circumstances that might happen is anyone's guess, though, according to Kenney. "What's the plan? I don't know," Kenney told AVweb. Clearly, though, Kenney is excited by the prospect of a saviour for the A500 type certificate and obtaining upgrades so his airplane can realize the promise Adam Aircraft originally envisioned. Triton America and Thomas Hsueh's plans for the A500 -- if any -- aren't known at this point. But owners like Kenney have their fingers crossed.