In the airplane-manufacturing enterprise, very few companies have exceeded four figures of aircraft deliveries. The newest producer to achieve this feat did so in only 15 years.
BRM Aero announced, “Last year (2024) was a remarkable year for Bristell Aircraft. Reaching our 1,000th aircraft milestone, securing vital certifications, and maintaining strong production numbers have demonstrated our commitment to excellence in aviation.”
I wrote about BRM hitting 300 deliveries in 2017 (eight years after starting up). Now, seven years later BRM has reached their 1,000th aircraft delivered. That’s a second half average of 100 units per year, a production rate any company would be proud to have — even for businesses operating many more years. In 2024 alone, 112 Bristell models were delivered showing the current pace the Czech company is achieving.
Part of the reason for this success is a surprising diversity of aircraft models based on the original. In addition to the most commonly recognized trigear low wing, BRM created a retractable version, a taildragger version, a high wing derivation, and an electric-powered model plus the company offers IFR-capable configurations. Even a turbine powered aircraft expected on the market “soon.”
BRM AERO MODEL LIST
- Bristell B23
- Bristell B23 Turbo
- Bristell Classic
- Bristell RG (retractable gear)
- Bristell TDO (tail dragger option)
- Bristell B8 (high wing)
- Bristell Energic (electric propulsion)
Even a model capable of towing gliders is part of the lineup. Gliding is a very popular activity in Europe and towplanes are in regular demand.
“Our versatile aircraft offers multiple capabilities that cater to different flying needs,” BRM Aero elaborated. “During the certification process for the tug model, we extensively tested the aircraft in challenging mountain conditions, where it particularly shone in glider towing operations, easily handling gliders up to 850 kilograms (about 1,875 pounds).” Towing more than it weighs is a notable point.
“BRM Aero is a family company primarily focusing on individual custom-built airplanes,” explained founder (and father) Milan Bříštěla. “[We are] able to carry out all kinds of modifications according to customer requirements. Each customer can therefore get a unique airplane that best suits their needs.”
The father and son duo at the helm of BRM Aero have obviously been mighty busy building a company from scratch and rising to the upper ranks in a remarkably short time. Milan founded BRM AERO s.r.o. in 2009, just 15 years ago. His son Martin was in at the start and has now risen to become CEO of the company. Today, the business employs 135 people.
Also Mosaic-Ready
“The development of our B23 with Rotax’s 916iS engine for the U.S. market’s (coming) Mosaic regulation represents an important strategic step forward,” said Martin. “We’ve successfully adapted the aircraft to meet these new specifications, and the initial feedback from our demonstrations has been very promising. Interest we’re seeing from the U.S. market confirms we’re on the right track with this development.”
In addition to supporting the popular and potent 916iS powerplant, BRM Aero has another 160-horsepower trick up its sleeve, at least for those with a thicker wallet.
‘We are proud to announce [that] we successfully achieved the first 300 flight hours with a new powerplant from Turbotech. Our Bristell Turbine will be available as an Ultralight (UL) with a turbine engine in Europe, or as a Mosaic plane in the USA. Key features include an exceptionally smooth sound, no vibration, and turbine power characteristics of up to 160 horsepower,” stated Martin.
Read more about Turbine, the B8 High Wing, and the electric-propulsion Energic in this 2022 article.
Just before Covid panic closed down the global economy and sequestered us in our homes, I got to shoot aerial photos of Lou Mancuso in a 915iS-powered Bristell. From this engine on to the 916iS, Bristell started boasting higher cruise speeds. It’s like they knew Mosaic was coming — but the fact is that European CAAs have allowed higher speeds than FAA for a number of years. Read about the speedy Bristell in this 2020 article.
I can only wonder what BRM Aero might achieve in 2025 and beyond but I’m willing to bet their production and delivery numbers keep rising.
See How They’re Built
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