AAI Acquisition (Booth No. 3383), which acquired the assets of bankrupt Adam Aircraft in April, now has about 200 employees and announced that design, manufacture and test activities have resumed for the A700 very light jet. Company CEO Jack Braly said that AAI is picking up where the former Adam Aircraft left off on the twinjet program, noting that the FAA has agreed to accept certification work previously completed by the former manufacturer.

The company, which is backed by Russian investment firm Industrial Investors/ Kaskol, is solely focused on the A700 and has no plans to support the five A500 piston twins delivered by Adam Aircraft, other than its obligation as type certificate holder to issue airworthiness directives as needed for the orphaned model.
As for the A700, AAI’s priorities are completing the design for certification and manufacturing; achieving FAA certification for the twinjet in the first half of 2010 and EASA approval a year later; and establishing factory-approved service centers for sales and customer support.

New orders for the $3 million A700 will be accepted once AAI finalizes the design, which includes choosing an avionics system, and locks down its certification and production schedule. According to Braly, the company has narrowed down its avionics choice to either the L-3 SmartDeck, Avidyne Entegra II or Garmin G1000. An avionics vendor will be selected in the next month, he said.

AAI was also expected to announce a rebranding of the company here at NBAA, but Braly told NBAA Convention News that this is still in the works and will be announced by year-end.