A_and_C wrote:
but of course selling in America would require the level of customer service that the French seem incapable of understanding
It would also require the aircraft not be built from wood. US buyers are deeply skeptical of wooden planes, especially when there’s a ready supply of all metal and composite planes available.
US buyers are deeply skeptical of wooden planes,
That’s true for many buyers, but in the US Robin wouldn’t be selling to Cessna or Piper buyers, or into fleets. There might be some common ground with Diamond. The volume would be small as a result but might potentially be significant for Robin. The reason it wouldn’t actually happen is that it would require very reliable and attentive US parts service and support, for a number of years, plus good pricing. Enough of that to be reported in the press and to build a cult following. Bellanca did it that way, once upon a time.
The advantage of the Robin over for example abortive attempts to market Zlins in the US is that the Robin’s numbers pencil out pretty well and the parallel valve Lycoming engines are what people want to operate.
