Superior Engines Back in Production!!!!

[andyrv]

Superior Air Parts has resumed shipping its Experimental XP series of engines. Sales stopped when the company declared bankruptcy years ago. Superior Air Parts is now a subsidiary of Superior Aviation Beijing following its purchase by a Chinese company.




http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/article...WT.mc_sect=gan

[Sig600]

Are the parts made in China?

[flion]

*sigh* No. Or, at least, not necessarily. Every time this comes up, that's always the first comment. No one said anything about foreign ownership when Thielert owned them, and that was the company whose management raided Superior and put them into bankruptcy in the first place. If you take a look at Superior's history, they tended to farm out large manufacturing and focused on design. Part of the deal with Thielert was to roll some of that manufacturing into the 'family', so to speak, cutting costs and improving delivery. Who knew that a big company like that was so rotten underneath?

Superior is the same company it always was. I am sure that most manufacturing will still not be in-house but they will continue to inspect and make sure their designs are done to their standards. When I was there building my engine, I got to see the warehouse. They receive parts and everything goes through their inspection process before being packaged and put in the shipping side. Assembly is done there as well; while I was building my XP, the chief mechanic was building a Vantage at the workstation next to me.

As far as where the parts are made, I don't know. Very few 'American Made' things really are these days - many are assembled in the US but parts and assemblies originate elsewhere, while even US-based plants sometimes employ non-US workers. I don't want to get into the politics of 'Made in the US', which Doug would rightly clamp down on anyway, but I consider Superior to be an American company that produces quality products.

[bkthomps]

isn't Thielert bankrupt as well?

[RV7Guy]

Too many other excellent choices to even take a chance..... Probably good news for those who already own Superior engines/parts.

[Larco]

When talking with a rep at Superior about 2 months ago I was informed that the new cases and lifters are different and not interchangable with the current roller set up. They were working on perhaps modifying the current cases to accept the new style lifters but not sure if it could be accomplished at that time. Of course we would rather not have to be concerned with that issue. Right?
Larry

[Sig600]

I ask because I really like what the sell on paper. It looks like a great product, however anything with Chinese affiliation is instantly suspect to quality control. Greg A's rocker boss failure only serves to fuel my concern.

[jferraro17]

Not that experienced with GA engines, but one of the worst scenarios I could conceive of has been playing out between one of my buddies and his "American made" engine parts, assembled by one of the "many other excellent choices" builders.

Nothing is ever a guaranteed, no matter your choice.

I'm glad to have another option in the game. The fact that I can drive down the street and pick the engine up certainly doesn't hurt.

Joe