After 50 years of failed attempts to make fly, Oklahoma officials still fell for the milk can
airplane scam, when Tax Sham Clan, Altus Ventures used
a 1940's airplane originally designed to fly up to 6 milk cans to market for small remote dairy farms.
Altus Ventures
used this venture to scam the state out of $66.3 million in tax credits. Turns out Don Luscombe the orignial
designers mistake was trying to convince dairy farmers of the planes use. He should have
been talking to scam artist all along. $66 million off one scam is probably more than
Mr. Luscombe's aircraft business make his entire life.
The Luscombe Model 11, Quartz Mountain Aerospace, was funded to produce and sell, is a
1940s vintage airplane designed as a combined family/business aircraft, capable of carrying
four people or six milk cans. The milk can market turned out to be sour in the 40's when small
family dairy farms where still the main producers of milk.
The Luscombe Model 11, Quartz Mountain Aerospace was established to produce and sell, is a
1940s vintage airplane designed as a combined family/business aircraft, capable of carrying
four people or six milk cans. The milk can market turned out to be sour milk in the 40's when small
family dairy farms where still the main producers of milk.
The Luscombe line of aircraft has a storied history that includes failures and bankruptcies.
Although some models obtained certification, engineers never seemed to be quite satisfied
with the design and were constantly trying to make a better version. Redesigned versions kept
cropping up for another try and failure.
Financial problems resulted in the Luscombe company closing its doors in 1950.
After a bankruptcy, the assets were purchased by a major Luscombe dealer which tried reviving
some of the Luscombe.
A Federal Aviation Administration certification audit of active Luscombe
lines resulted in the determination that continued production required a wholesale revision to
the engineering drawings, specifications, and processes, requiring a new production management
team of the FAA's choosing to oversee the project. This was to be a comprehensive and very
expensive process necessary to satisfy the FAA. Senior management reviewed the findings and
determined that the required changes would not be economically feasible, so they closed the
company again.
Several attempts to revive production have failed due to the high engineering
and production costs involved, long lead times, missing drawings, old processes and tools,
and a limited marketplace for an airplane that generally does not accommodate average sized
persons (2006). None of the production revivals have succeeded.
Quartz Mountain Aerospace revived the idea of reengineering the model 11 into a model 11E into
production. And, Altus Ventures took control to abundantly
harvest Oklahoma tax credits.
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