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Hartmut wrote:
> How the heck do you explain the
newly built 10k center spar?
> What are the costs involved?
>
> They've got the jig, the steel and
aluminum pieces you need
> are worth max. $250. Now add
the costs for a worker that
> rivets the stuff together. 4 hours
of work @ 100 bucks an
> hour, add costs for shipping and
other expenses - a center
> spar should not cost more than 1500
Dollars to produce.
> I really would like to know where
the costs factor comes in
> here. What is up with this company? I
am having the feeling
> they are overpricing us because some
executives are
> working on their early retirement.
Hartmut,
ERCO’s business was in making fancy
automated aircraft metal fabrication tools.
I don’t know that they used any
Ercoupe specific tools to make the spar caps. I suspect they might have
just used some of their other shop equipment to make those spar caps.
Those tools may not have been sold along with the other Ercoupe specific tools
and jigs.
This is based on a 10-15 year old memory
that’s pretty vague: I think I’ve heard it mentioned that the
problem with making new spars is that there are no tools available to Univair
to make those spar caps (weren’t they extrusions?). They’d
have to contract with some aviation supply company, get samples made, get them
certified then get the production run.
The total cost may be several times what
seems “reasonable” if this is true.
Up to now, hasn’t there been a big
enough supply of good, salvaged spars to take care of the demand?
Ed
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