Two more key executives have left Mooney Aircraft Company. Tom Bowen, the company’s vice president of engineering and the chief operating officer during its bankruptcy, left Friday and is headed to Lancair Certified where he’ll work on projects to make those airplanes go higher, faster and farther. Jim Cullen, the company’s director of manufacturing, resigned a week earlier to join Sino Swearingen, which is developing a twin-engine business jet. We couldn’t reach Cullen but Bowen said it was time for him to seek new challenges. (more) He said Mooney is concentrating on surviving its current financial crisis and is in no position to develop new aircraft, which is what he does. “They’ve pretty much got their buckets full, there,” said Bowen. Bowen was hired by Mooney originally to guide its Ovation through certification. He anticipates similar challenges in Bend. “I’m looking forward to getting back into a very aggressive R&D environment.” Mooney CEO Nelson Happy did not immediately return AVweb‘s phone call.
More Brain Drain At Mooney
Key Takeaways:
- Mooney Aircraft Company recently lost two key executives, Tom Bowen (VP of Engineering) and Jim Cullen (Director of Manufacturing).
- The executives left to pursue new challenges, with Bowen specifically seeking an aggressive R&D environment.
- Mooney is currently focused on surviving its financial crisis and is not in a position to develop new aircraft, which led to the departures of innovation-focused personnel.
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