Fisher Flying Products up for sale

[Jim Heffelfinger]

This announced to the Fisher Yahoo groups....
A Letter From Paul Riedlinger - President of Fisher Flying Products
I have decided now is the time to make some major changes at Fisher Flying Products. Effective immediately, we will no longer be selling kits for any of our aircraft to NEW CUSTOMERS. We will only be offering our excellent full-size plans to people who want to scratch build any of our 14 different aircraft. Full technical support will continue to be offered. In addition, we will be continuing to sell items that are unique to our aircraft such as fuel tanks, cowls, windscreens, etc.
If you are an EXISTING CUSTOMER, replacement parts and kits needed to complete your aircraft will continue to be available. The changes only effect NEW CUSTOMERS. I do ask that you place any orders for kits needed by March 15th.
These changes will remain in effect until I can find a buyer for the company who can restart production and carry Fisher forward into the future.
Details Of The Decision:
For those of you who know me, you will realize this is not an easy decision. I took over FFP from Gene and Darlene Hanson five years ago and have had the time of my life reviving the company and making these great airplanes available once again. I have made many good friends and look forward to coming into work each day and talking with our great customers. I love dealing with our customer base which is truly world wide.
So, why the change? Well, it certainly is not because the company is in any type of trouble. In fact we grew 40% in sales last year, invested in new modern production equipment and employed some of highly skilled people. With the US market finally coming back, the future sales potential for the company is very promising. It all comes down to time and being able to treating our customers with the level of service they have come to expect and deserve. What many people do not realize is that I took on Fisher because of my love of avaition and the desire to keep the FFP designs from disappearing. Besides running Fisher, I also own another business, guest lecture at the University of Toronto and I am in the process of getting my Doctorate at Reading University in England. I have always prided myself on providing excellent service and support for Fisher's products and recently it has become clear to me that with everything else going on I simply do not have the time to dedicate to FFP that it deserves. My goal with the changes is to allow me to provide support and products to existing customers while I search for a new owner for the company. I do not want to see anyone left stranded without the parts needed to complete their aircraft.
With all of this in mind, I would also like to announce that the company is for sale. With 14 different designs, a huge worldwide customer base of over 4000 people it is a great opportunity for someone who is looking to immerse themselves in the aviation world. What is for sale is all of the designs, production jigs, engineering, copyrights, etc. If you are interested in finding out more please feel free to contact me at paul@fisherflying.com
A quick summary of the changes:

• New Customers will only be able to buy plans and supporting products
• Existing Customers - nothing really changes other than if you need kits to complete your aircraft, please place the order before March 15th
• Technical Support - still available. It is always best to use email for technical support at ffp@fisherflying.com . Provide a detailed description of your question with part numbers and/or plan # you have questions about. Photos are always very helpful. If you want to talk on the phone about an issue, please note that phone support will be available Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-5pm Eastern Standard Time
• Website - over the next few days you will notice see that the long promised Online Store will be turned on so you can do most purchases directly from www.fisherflying.com
• If you are interested in buying the company please contact me at paul@fisherflying.com for more details.

I know that the changes are going to make some people unhappy but I hope you understand why I need to make them. It has been a pleasure dealing with each of you for the past 5 years and I look forward to continuing to support the Fisher line of aircraft. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at paul@fisherflying.com
Paul Riedlinger

[1600vw]

We must thank Paul for doing what he has for the FFP brand. I have owned a couple of these airplanes and they are nice little airplanes. I wish him the Best..