Robin Aircraft

What Robin Aircraft does

Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of handcrafted single-engine aircraft headquartered in Darois, Burgundy. Founded in 1957 (re-established under its current legal form in 2011 by CEO Daniel Triques after Apex Aircraft's bankruptcy), the company produces two core product families: the DR401 series — a wooden four-seat platform available in training (120A, 120Lite, Rotax 912iS, 135CDI, 155CDI, 160A), travel (160LR, 180LR, 200i), and towing (155R, 180R) variants — and the CAP 10C NG two-seat aerobatic trainer. Each aircraft is built on-site using traditional wood-and-canvas construction (170 kg of wood, 38 m of canvas, approximately 2,000 hours of handcrafting per unit) combined with modern third-party avionics from Garmin.

The company's manufacturing model is direct-to-customer via an online configurator (standard and 3D design variants), supported by the Robin Tour demonstration program that brings demonstrator aircraft to airfields across Europe. Production capacity is stated at 2–3 aircraft per month. CEAPR, an affiliated entity led by CEO Christophe Belin and operationally intertwined with Robin Aircraft (Daniel Triques serves as Technical Director at CEAPR), produces approximately 95% of metallic components including engine mounts, landing gear, and fuel tanks at the shared Darois facility, and supplies spare parts to the worldwide Robin fleet. The DR401 received EASA Part 21 production credentials in September 2011, and CEAPR obtained a renewed Production Approval Certificate in September 2024 enabling first customer deliveries.

Robin Aircraft's customer base is concentrated in European flying clubs, flight schools, and gliding clubs, with the DR400/DR401 platform representing approximately 50% of French flying club fleet aircraft and 75% of flight hours. The company has produced over 4,500 aircraft since 1957, including more than 3,000 DR400 units since 1972. Revenue figures, unit shipment data, and pricing are not publicly disclosed; the company remains privately held with no venture or private equity ownership indicated in available materials. Workforce is small (11–50 employees) with active engineering hiring, and pricing is determined on a per-configuration basis through direct sales engagement.

Name

Robin Aircraft

Legal name

Robin Aircraft

Website

https://robin-aircraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of handcrafted single-engine wooden aircraft, producing the DR401 training, travel, and towing variants and the CAP 10C NG aerobatic trainer for European flying clubs, flight schools, gliding clubs, and private pilots via direct factory sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Single-Engine Aircraft Manufacturing

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411)

SIC

Aircraft (3721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business & General Aviation Aircraft Manufacturing (IMABAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Training & Light Sport Fixed-Wing Aircraft Manufacturing (IMABAAAE)

Keywords

• Single-engine aircraft
• Flight training aircraft
• Aerobatic trainers
• Wooden aircraft manufacturing
• Light aviation aircraft

Headquarters

HQ city

Darois

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Sales: One-time purchase of handcrafted single-engine aircraft. Customers select from various models (DR401 variants, CAP10C NG) and configure specifications through standard or custom configurator. Production capacity of 2-3 aircraft per month.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Robin Aircraft manufactures handcrafted single-engine wooden aircraft at its facility in Darois, France. The product line centers on the DR401 family — successor to the DR400 — offered in training, travel, towing, and diesel variants, alongside the CAP 10C NG aerobatic trainer. Each aircraft requires approximately 2,000 hours of skilled handcraft using wood, canvas, and modern avionics such as Garmin G500 and GTN650/750 systems.

Product overview

Robin Aircraft is a French manufacturer of handcrafted single-engine aircraft based in Darois, Burgundy, founded in 1957. The company produces two main aircraft families: the DR401 series (training, travel, towing, and diesel variants) and the CAP 10C NG aerobatic trainer. All aircraft feature wooden fuselage and wings constructed by hand, with the DR401 being the modern successor to the legendary DR400. The company offers online configurators for equipment and design customization, and supports its aircraft through a network of authorized maintenance centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DR401 Handcrafted single-engine aircraft with wooden fuselage and wings. Successor to the DR400, featuring modern Garmin G500 and GTN650/750 avionics, available in multiple configurations for training, travel, towing, and diesel variants.
• DR401 - 120A Training Training aircraft equipped with a 120hp Lycoming engine, designed for flight schools with robust flight qualities and low operating costs.
• DR401 - 120Lite Training Ultra-light training variant with 510kg empty mass and simplified avionics for cost-effective pilot training.
• DR401 - Rotax 912iS Training Most economical DR401 variant using a 96hp Rotax 912iS engine that runs on SP95 fuel instead of AVGAS, ideal for flying clubs.
• DR401 - 135CDI Diesel Diesel variant with 135hp Continental engine and turbocompressor, operating on JETA1 fuel with simplified controls for pilot training.
• DR401 - 155CDI Diesel Versatile diesel variant with 155hp Continental turbo engine offering better cruising speed and useful load than the 120A with lower fuel consumption.
• DR401 - 160LR Travel Long-range travel variant with additional fuel tanks offering over 1,500km range, fixed-pitch propeller and reliable landing gear.
• DR401 - 180LR Travel Four-seat travel aircraft with 180hp Lycoming engine, offering superior payload capacity, cruise performance and range up to 1,600km with optional supplementary fuel tanks.
• DR401 - 200i Travel Fastest DR401 variant with Lycoming engine, 239L fuel capacity, 145kts max speed and 1,414km range at 45.4L/hour consumption.
• DR401 - 155R Towing Tow plane with 155hp Continental diesel engine offering nearly half the fuel consumption of the 180R (23.8L vs 39.0L/hour) with excellent towing performance.
• DR401 - 180R Towing

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ year operational lifespan for some aircraft
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CEAPRcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011CEAPR is the manufacturing partner responsible for metal parts production and spare parts supply for Robin Aircraft. Located at the same Darois facility, CEAPR produces approximately 95% of metallic components including engine mounts, landing gear, fuel tanks, and structural parts. CEO Christophe Belin leads CEAPR while Daniel Triques serves as Robin Aircraft CEO and technical director at CEAPR. CEAPR received its Production Approval Certificate in September 2024, validating its manufacturing capabilities for aircraft production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Piper Aircraft: Major US general aviation manufacturer producing the Archer, Arrow, and Seminole. Broad incumbent serving similar flight training and private owner segments as Robin but at significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Cessna (Textron Aviation): World's largest general aviation manufacturer with the 152, 172, and 182 single-engine trainers that dominate the global flight school market. Sets the competitive benchmark that Robin's DR401 Ecole competes against in flight training.

Direct peers

• Cirrus Aircraft: US-based manufacturer of the SR20 and SR22 single-engine piston aircraft with proprietary CAPS parachute system. Competes for the private owner and flight school segment with modern avionics and composite construction.
• Tecnam: Italian manufacturer of the P2002, P2006T, and P2010 single/twin-engine aircraft. Competes directly in the LSA, training, and light touring segments with Robin's DR401-120Lite and 180LR variants.
• Diamond Aircraft: Austrian manufacturer of composite single-engine (DA20, DA40) and twin-engine (DA42) aircraft used extensively by flight schools worldwide. Direct competitor in the primary and advanced flight training market that Robin serves with the DR401.
• SOCATA (Daher): French general aviation manufacturer producing the TB series single-engine and light twin aircraft. Closest direct peer given shared French origin, EASA-certified production, and competing positioning in the flight training and private owner segments.
• Extra Aircraft: German manufacturer of high-performance aerobatic aircraft including the Extra 300 and 330. Direct competitor in the two-seat aerobatic trainer market that Robin addresses with the CAP10C NG for UPRT and competition aerobatics.

Emerging players

• Aviat Aircraft: US manufacturer of the Husky and Pitts Special aerobatic biplane. Comparable niche positioning in the backcountry and aerobatic training segments, offering hand-built specialty aircraft with traditional craftsmanship similar to Robin's approach.
• Grob Aircraft: German manufacturer of the G 109 and G 120 training aircraft with composite construction. Competes in the European flight training segment with modern all-composite trainers that target the same flying club customers as Robin's DR401.

Regional players

• Zlin Aircraft: Czech manufacturer of the Zlin Z-142 and Z-50 aerobatic and training aircraft, primarily serving Central and Eastern European markets. Comparable niche aerobatic trainer positioning with similar wood/metal construction heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RobinAircraft

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Robin Aircraft