Carl has a good point- Like so many others I lost out from the demise of
EMIL not nearly so badly as some, perhaps if I had I would be more angry
and like most people. I simply don't know any of the detail of what
happened, but I'm pretty sure it could have been worse if Europa had simply
disappeared leaving us without parts or even design information.
If EMIL had pulled the plugs earlier I imagine there would have been dismay
and accusations of premature action from builders left stranded as a result.
Again, if you were to warn potential customers that the company is in
trouble it would inevitably become a self-fulfilling prophesy. There seems
no way for any company to fail without there being innocent victims.
When I took the plunge and started building it was the way the kit flew that
attracted me, but I was aware that so many aircraft manufacturers (not just
kit producers) with excellent products have gone under leaving their
customers stranded. It seemed to me then, and still does, that the number of
kits in circulation was a protection in itself -there are enough builders to
make it attractive for someone to pick up the pieces -look how many people
were offering to supply parts when EMIL went under, even before E2004 was
formed.
Judging by the number of aircraft companies that have floundered financially
in the past, being an aircraft manufacturer is no way to get rich. (And
judging from the rates they charge, being an administrator sounds more
profitable!)
If the administrators have done their job properly -which must surely be the
case as this sounds a pretty straightforward insolvency as these things go-
the time for any form of legal action has long passed. The moneys gone.
I don't know how much culpability Keith had in peoples losses, but it seemed
to me that supplying free photos was a rather appropriate form of community
service. A trust fund certainly isn't going to solve everything, but every
little helps.
We should all take some comfort from the fact that the success of the
design has meant that at least we are not all nursing unfinished and
unfinishable kits due to a lack of parts or information -something that has
happened in the past.
Whether we are flying or still building, the continuing success of E2004 is
very much in our interests.
Cheers
Bill
|