Wills Wing Valle

Intervju av Rudy Gotes ved nye Wills WIng i Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Intervjuet er gjor av Davis Straub og er klippet rett ut av Ozreport.com. Link: https://ozreport.com/toc.php?26.86#0

I asked Rudy how things were going in Valle with the new Wills Wing factory.  Here’s what he had to say:

Rudy writes:

It has been difficult this past 7 months with imports, exports, dealing with the logistic companies.

On the other hand, every time we go test flying it is a great feeling knowing that we are producing hang gliders; the staff is great; we still learn a lot every day; it is challenge.

1) Is Wills Wing producing gliders now?

Yes.  We are producing gliders, actually tomorrow we are sending 7 gliders.  We have been delayed with the import of raw materials like sailcloth and laminated sail cloth, and with tubes coming from France and extrusions for down tubes, and king posts.  We are still learning how to have everything in time.

2) If so which ones and how many per week?

We are producing the Alfa 235, Falcons in all sizes, and Sport 3’s in all sizes.

3) Will they produce T3’s? If so when and how many?

We will produce the T3, but not now.  We need to be prepared with every material.  It has carbon fiber and we are not ready yet.

4) Are there plans for a T4?

Eventually, yes.

5) Is Steve Pearson actively working with Wills Wing and designing a new competition glider?

Steve is the designer and he gives us all the technical support.  We have communication with him for our doubts about production.

6) Is Wolfi there working on gliders?

Wolfi is working every day here.  He runs the sail loft and also knows most of the different jobs.  He works hard and chooses most of the inventory glider colors.

7) Are Wills Wing dealers receiving gliders?

We have been delayed.  We have sent around 35 gliders to dealers.

8) What are your plans for the rest of 2022 and 2023?

The plan is to keep producing gliders and promoting hang gliding and learn every day how to improve.

Denne posten ble publisert 8 oktober 2021 på Wills Wing sine nettsider. Jeg har også hatt et Teams møte med det nye styret og det virket veldig positivt mht oppstart av produksjonen.

Greetings from Wills Wing!  

Thank you for all the encouragement and support that’s come flooding in since the last communication in June! We truly believe our Wills Wing community has the most incredible, loyal, and supportive pilots out there – and for that we cannot thank you enough. We are more committed than ever to building the safest and most fun, competitive, and beautiful gliders available, and we appreciate your patience as we move through this transition.  

A lot of exciting things have been happening behind the scenes over the past few months. We’ve completed the big move from Orange, CA, and our machines, equipment, and inventory have been moved to Valle de Bravo, Mexico. We’ve been working non-stop to get everything arranged and set up. Staff training is underway and we are happy to have a very talented team in the sail loft and machine shop.  

Production of spare parts and downtubes is an early and very high priority for the shop. We plan to resume production of all glider models in phases starting this fall, with delivery in the spring of 2022. Wills Wing will also continue selling Lara Gold reserve parachutes, harnesses, and Charly helmets – we’ll have more information once our store is ready to take orders for these items. 

I’ve included a FAQ below that will hopefully answer some additional questions. Stay tuned for more information from us as this new chapter unfolds!  

‘Till then, we wish you long, high, and happy flights! 

~ Rudy & your Wills Wing crew 

— FAQ —

Company & Team 

Is Wills Wing still a US company? 

Yes! Wills Wing Inc. will remain a US corporation with a subsidiary in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. 

Who is on the new leadership team? 

Rudy Gotés is the new president and managing director; Steve Pearson is a partner and is leading product and production engineering; Filippo Oppici, Jessica Koerner, and Leonides Guadarrama are partners and members of the board. Chris Wills, founder of Wills Wing in 1973, is a partner as well. All partners are hang glider pilots with a wealth of complimentary business experience and a deep passion for the sport of hang gliding. 

Who else is involved? 

We have an impressive, skilled, and dedicated team in the US and in Valle de Bravo managing operations, production, and logistics, and an experienced and talented technical team working in the sail loft and machine shop. We also have an incredible network of dealers and suppliers, and we believe, the most loyal and supportive customers in hang gliding! 

Why Valle de Bravo? 

Valle de Bravo is a thriving and well-established global hang gliding meca with a unique combination of talent, resources, and opportunity. Located just two hours from Mexico City, Valle de Bravo draws top talent from around the world to live, work and fly. Valle is flyable nearly 365 days per year, with fun and interesting soaring conditions, and has been selected as the site for many national and international hang gliding competitions including the FAI World Championships in 2015. Additionally, each year Vuelo Libre hosts hundreds of pilots of all levels each year for an unforgettable flying experience. The enthusiasm for hang gliding in Valle de Bravo is tangible, and the new Wills Wing factory has received significant interest and a warm welcome from individuals in the community and business leaders alike. 

Orders & Parts

When will you start taking orders for new gliders? 

We will begin accepting requests for new gliders, harnesses, helmets, and reserve parachutes this fall. These requests should be submitted through Wills Wing dealers. We expect to resume production this fall with glider delivery of all models by the spring of 2022. 

How long will it take to get my new glider? 

We expect to ship gliders by Spring 2022. 

What glider models will you be producing? 

We will return to production of all glider models in phases, starting with a selection of inventory gliders (standard specifications), followed by models and sizes in highest demand. 

What spare parts are available for purchase and how do I order them? 

Spare part availability is currently limited to Wills Wing Dealer inventory. Re-establishing production of tip wands and downtubes is one of our highest priorities at the new factory, and expect to have these available for purchase before the end of the year. 

Are you still making harnesses? How do I order? 

We will resume harness production, following the setup of our sail loft. We expect to take harness orders this fall and will be sharing a process for placing orders with our Wills Wing Dealer network. 

Are you still selling parachutes? How do I order? 

Yes, Wills Wing is still the exclusive distributor of Free Flight Enterprises Inc., Lara Gold parachutes, and we expect to resume sales of 175 and 250’s this fall. Stay tuned for a link to order directly from Wills Wing. 

Are you still selling helmets? How do I order? 

Yes, we are continuing to offer the Charly line of helmets and are investigating a potential expansion to our helmet offering. We will provide an update on the ordering process this fall. 

Jeg har også karabinere i stål, vinsjeutløsere og hjul på lager. I tillegg har jeg en Wills Wing Sport 3 170 til salgs.

Steve Pearson skrev dette i forbindelse med at Wills Wing flytter til Valle de Bravo i Mexico:

To All of Our Dealers, Customers and Friends,

We wish to share with you some important news. During the next two and a half months, we will be finishing up orders currently on the books, winding down operations and preparing to shut down production at our Orange facility as part of a process of closing down the Company.

During that same period, we will be continuing work already in progress on developing a plan of support for a new successor entity, the goal of which will be to provide for the continuing supply of Wills Wing products, services and technical support to the hang gliding community. Heading up the new enterprise will be Rudy Gotes, top ranked competition pilot, and our long-time distributor in Mexico. Wills Wing president Steve Pearson will be joining the new company as a partner and will provide critical support in technology, manufacturing and customer support and product design and development. Production facilities for the new company will be headquartered in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, known around the world for its consistent, year-round flying. At the same time, we will be working here to lay a broad foundation of technical support to provide for an ongoing partnership between our long-time dealer Lookout Mountain Flight Park and the new company, in order to facilitate an enhanced level of domestic customer support going forward.

This transition will involve both challenges and opportunities. Wills Wing, incorporated in California in 1973, has had a good 48 year run, and with your support we have had the honor of leading the hang gliding industry for most of those 48 years. Nothing lasts forever, however, and a wide range of market and economic conditions, both currently and over the last several years have made this decision unavoidable.

First, thank you for all of the support that all of you have given to Wills Wing over the last 48 years. We’ve dedicated our careers and our lives to this sport, and in return we’ve been rewarded with lifelong friendships and incomparable experiences.

Plans for the new successor enterprise are still in development, and we have limited details to offer at this time. We can say that the primary goal for the new company will be to continue to provide the products, product support and services that you have associated with Wills Wing with the highest possible level of quality and with the minimum possible delay and disruption in the transition. You can expect further updates from the new company as plans develop and details are finalized.

With regard to our operations here over the next two and half months, we intend to, and we believe we will be able to produce all gliders and harnesses that are currently on order. New glider and harness orders placed going forward will be accepted on a provisional basis, and we will endeavor to keep you informed as to their status as we go forward. Those orders that can be produced before we shut down here, will be. For those that cannot be produced before we shut down, customers will have the option of re-ordering with the new Wills Wing once operations commence. We expect to be able to continue to fill parts orders here during most of the next two and a half months.

Once again, we thank you for your support over the years, and we wish all of you, and the sport itself to which we’ve dedicated our careers, all the best.

Sincerely,

Steve Pearson, Mike and Linda Meier, Chris Wills
Wills Wing

Wills wing har introdusert sin nye Carbon Fiber Stinger eller bakre kjøl om du vil. Lik den gamle, men med Woosh logo på siden. Som oppgradering til en ny vinge koster den ca 3250,- mens som ekstrautstyr kommer den på ca 4350,-

Bjørn fikk sin nye Sport 3 levert 16 desember. Nå venter han bare på ei gløppe i regnværet sånn at herligheten kan prøves.