Cirrus Visionary Alan Klapmeier Leaving Company

By: Matt Thurber

August 6, 2009
Aircraft

Although Cirrus Aircraft fielded a large display at EAA AirVenture last week in Oshkosh, Wis., notably missing from the Cirrus exhibit area and Cirrus’s press conference was cofounder and board chairman Alan Klapmeier. Now the Cirrus board of directors has decided not to renew Klapmeier’s contract and to seek a new chairman when his term expires at the end of this month.

Until late last week, Klapmeier was trying to raise money to purchase the Vision single-engine jet program from Cirrus and he was negotiating terms of the possible deal with Cirrus officials. At AirVenture, Klapmeier’s brother and Cirrus cofounder Dale said that Cirrus had no plans to split off the Vision program, but that if Alan could raise the funds needed to accelerate development and certification, “this could be a win-win for customers and shareholders.

Late last week, Alan Klapmeier halted his efforts to acquire the Vision program. “It is us that ended negotiations when I thought we could go no higher and they could go no lower,” he told AIN.

“I will not be chairman of the board, and what our future relationship is, [that] is undecided. It was clearly their choice.

Cirrus did not return AIN’s request for comment before press time. 

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