“It was an extremely complicated situation,” Costanzo said of the deal, involving companies in two countries, angry government agencies that had invested (and lost) money, and complex agreements about type designs and production certificates. At times, he wondered if it would even be possible to work it all out. “But I thought it was too good a product to let it go,” he said. “The market is looking for an airplane like this.” SAI has entered into a strategic alliance with the German company OMF Flugzeugwerke GmbH (OMFDE), to acquire the assets of OMF GmbH … and apparently to add more oddly-organized consonants and vowels. OMFDE will produce the Symphony product line for the European market, as well as for Africa and the Middle East. The two companies will work to complement each other’s efforts, and will supply components to each other. OMF Canada had about 23 employees when it closed, Costanzo said, and he hopes to ramp up to a staff of about 30 by the end of this year. A few key members of the former management team worked with him over the last seven months, he said, and will continue with the new company. The Quebec facility will shift from being a production site to a design and development facility, and aircraft will be assembled there from components that are for the most part built elsewhere. Costanzo said he is putting together a talented engineering team to work on future projects and develop and certify a family of four-place aircraft.
