Taiwanese manufacturer AeroJones announced this week that it has appointed Australian Aero as the new agent for the CTLS LSA.
AeroJones builds the CTLS in Xiamen, China, and has the Asian and Oceania distrbution rights to the German-designed LSA.
Australian Aero is run by Recreational Aviation Australian (RAAus) chairman Michael Monck, who took on the CTLS agency after discussions with AeroJones at Avalon 2019.
“We are very excited to bring this well-known aircraft back into the Australian market with new manufacturer AeroJones,” said Monck. “This is not only great news for new buyers but also brilliant news for previous owners who seek customer service.
"We had been talking with Charlie Chen [AeroJones' director of international business] and the AeroJones team to help them make contacts in the Australian market. When they came here for the Avalon Air Show in 2019, we spent many hours with them.
“After learning what they were trying to do, their approach to aviation and generally getting to know them, it was an easy decision for us. We decided that we wanted to be involved at that airshow.”
Canberra-based Australian Aero has struggled to get their first CTLS into the country after signing the agreement with AeroJones nearly 12 months ago, with attempts thwarted first by bushfires that blanketed southern NSW and the ACT for much of the second half of last year, then the coronavirus pandemic, which created its own set of problems.
AeroJones was one of two companies that rescued Flight Design from receivership in 2016. Based in Taichung, Taiwan, they also have facilties in Jiangsu and Germany. In late 2020, AeroJones expects to commission a new aircraft factory in China near the Dalu General Airport close to Zhenjiang.
The Flight Design CTLS was formerly represented in Australia by Craftair, which retains the dealership for the Flight Design F2 two-seat aircraft.