Mooney International says it has bid for Spirit, will buy an aircraft maker, and build a three-airline empire. I called the CEO. Here is what he told me.
SEAir is the only one of the three with airplanes in the air today. Johnson described it as a Clark-based operation in the Philippines that flew passengers, moved into cargo, and sold its passenger business to Cebu Pacific. He cited a partner’s family link to the Dornier aircraft dynasty, and said the company runs two Boeing 737 freighters with plans to bring passenger service back.
His plans for the factory go well beyond the M20 line. He described light-sport aircraft already built and sold “across the world,” a return of the MT trainer, a two-place helicopter “equivalent to the R22 beta,” seaplanes and floatplanes, a Cirrus-style ballistic parachute system, and conversations with Williams about FJ-class jet engines. The manufacturing arm, he said, would feed flight academies and supply the wider network.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
