Story ID: 
New Adam Aircraft Owner Evaluating Options
By: Mark Huber
Caption: The new owner of Adam Aircraft said this week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., that he plans to decide whether to place a modified version of the A500 p
Word Count: 208
The new owner of Adam Aircraft said this week at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., that he plans to decide whether to place a modified version of the A500 push-pull twin into production by year-end. Triton America CEO Thomas Hseuh quietly purchased the assets of Adam Aircraft from its Russian investment group in late April and moved all 120 cargo containers of computers, milling centers, machine tooling, jigs and parts from Englewood, Colo., to his base in Anacortes, Wash. Hseuh–an aerospace engineer who has worked on a variety of programs, including the B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber–said he bought the assets mainly to apply them to his existing business, but he has hired very light jet designer Luc Van Bavel to evaluate the changes required to put the aircraft into production. Hseuh also said some of those contemplated changes include moving the mid-cabin spar beneath the fuselage and increasing the aircraft’s range and useful load. He added that the aircraft will likely be a turboprop. While Hseuh stressed he has yet to make a final decision, he said he has opened talks with Cessna about acquiring its former Columbia aircraft manufacturing plant in Bend, Ore., which the OEM is closing while consolidating those operations in Independence, Kan.