Silver bullet: Back in demand
“Airstreams? They still make those?”
Not only are the retro-looking “silver bullet” travel trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for more than 60 years, but the company can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days.
- In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo, Michael Shaw, left, of Rushylvania, Ohio, and Gary Kesler, of Elida, Ohio, work on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Not only are the Airstream trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for the past 60 years, but the company also can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo, Airstream travel trailers line the factory floor as they are assembled at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Not only are the Airstream trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for the past 60 years, but the company also can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Russell Hites, left, of Belle Center, and Charlie Presne, of Uniopolis, work on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Employees work on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Jerry Smith, of New Knoxville, rivets an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Tabatha Coil, of Bellefontaine, builds shelves for an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Employees work on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Erik Piriczky, left, of Quincy, and Josh Oakley, of Troy, polish an interior wall of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- The kitchen area of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Jim Dykes, of Jackson Center, builds shelves for Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Lisa Poppe, of Jackson Center, cleans the kitchen area of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Employees install televisions in an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Employees work on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- The sitting area of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo, Matt Rainsburg, of Lima, installs a refrigerator in an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Not only are the Airstream trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for the past 60 years, but the company also can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo, Rick March, of Jackson Center, installs a bench in an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Not only are the Airstream trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for the past 60 years, but the company also can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Employees attach the floor to the frame of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo, Jordan Peterson, of Bellefontaine, works on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio. Not only are the Airstream trailers still being built by hand at the same western Ohio site that has produced them for the past 60 years, but the company also can’t roll them out of there fast enough to meet the demand these days. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Jason Miley, of St. Marys, works on the roof of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Joe Roberts, of Jackson Center, works on an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
- Shawn Stettler, of Anna, caulks around a window of an Airstream travel trailer at the Airstream factory Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Jackson Center, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
The instantly recognizable silver bubble design — inspired by airplane fuselages — hasn’t been tweaked much since the first Airstreams took to the open road in the 1930s on the way to becoming an American icon.
The polished campers have appeared in Hollywood movies and were used to quarantine the Apollo 11 astronauts when they got back from the moon. They have also inspired devotees who socialize with one another at Airstream caravans and rallies all over the world, including an annual Ohio jamboree known as “Alumapalooza.”
Airstream builds 50 travel-trailers every week at the plant in Jackson Center, all gleaming and aerodynamic and riveted by hand. The backlog is about three months, and ground has been broken on a major expansion at the factory about 75 miles north of Dayton that eventually will increase production capacity by 50 percent.
The RV industry was dealt a body blow by the Great Recession but has rebounded with gusto. Shipments in 2014 are expected to be up more than 8 percent, after the best October in the industry in nearly 40 years. Production next year is expected to return to levels seen before the economy tanked.
Airstream — owned by the larger Indiana-based RV maker Thor Industries — is riding the wave, surging with three record years in a row. Wheeler says shipments have increased to about twice what they were during the best days before the recession.
Besides a better economy, Airstream is benefiting from a big bubble of baby boomers, many now choosing not to wait until their 60s to buy one, and a new wave of desire for the classic designs of America’s yesteryear, even though they command top dollar. New Airstreams run $42,000 to $140,000. – Associated Press