Avtek to Build Plant in Michigan if FAA OKs Plane

Avtek Corp., a Camarillo firm developing a novel corporate airplane built mostly of plastic composites, said it will build its main assembly plant in Battle Creek, Mich., if the plane is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plant could employ more than 1,000 people, Michigan officials said.

Avtek Chairman Robert Adickes said the company chose Michigan because the state agreed to help raise part of the $20 million Avtek needs for the various tests required to get FAA certification. Adickes said he hopes to have the plane certified by the spring of 1990, after which full-scale marketing of the plane could begin.

The state of Pennsylvania, where Avtek has proposed building a sub-assembly plant, and Gulf Development, a London investment firm, also have agreed to help raise financing for the plane, the Avtek 400A. The twin-engine, 6,600-pound plane currently has a $1.75-million price tag and is touted by Avtek as a low-cost, efficient alternative to today’s corporate jets.