The BRM AERO factory in Kunovice, Czech Republic, with finished Bristell aircraft on the apron

About BRM AERO

We are BRM AERO — the family company behind Bristell.

Founded by a father and his son in 2009. For 17 years we have designed and built light aircraft in Kunovice, Czech Republic — more than 1,200 of them, flying on five continents.

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1,200+ Aircraft delivered

17 Years of building aircraft

140+ People in Kunovice

30+ Dealers on five continents

Milan and Martin Bristela together beside a Bristell aircraft

Family

A father, a son, and a garage.

In the autumn of 2009, aviation engineer Milan Bristela and his son Martin founded BRM AERO together — in a garage, from zero, with no outside capital. Aircraft run in the family: Milan had worked in aviation since 1983, and his own father built aircraft in Kunovice before him. Their first customer trusted the two of them enough to pay for the development of the first aircraft in advance.

Today Martin leads the company as CEO, while Milan keeps doing what he has always done best — development and design. The team has grown from two people to more than 140, and the company still answers to the family whose aircraft carry its name.

What hasn't changed is how a Bristell is made: every aircraft is custom-built to its owner's specification — livery, interior, instrument panel. And every design decision still follows the founding principles: safety, ergonomics, excellent flight characteristics and timeless design. Aircraft that forgive mistakes instead of punishing them.

The Journey

From a garage to 1,200 aircraft.

Seventeen years, year by year — swipe through how two people in a garage became one of Europe's largest light-aircraft manufacturers.

2009

Founded in a garage

In the autumn of 2009, aviation engineer Milan Bristela and his son Martin start BRM AERO from zero — and their first customer trusts them enough to fund the first aircraft in advance.

2010

The first prototype flies

Three thousand development hours culminate in the first flight of the first Bristell.

2011

AERO Friedrichshafen debut

Fifteen months after founding, the Bristell Classic debuts at the biggest show in European aviation — with the widest cockpit in its class, 130 cm (51 in).

2012

Bristell RG — and first aircraft overseas

The retractable-gear Bristell RG arrives, the first aircraft are delivered to the USA and Australia, and land is purchased at Kunovice airport.

2013

Home at Kunovice Airport

The first own hangar opens and the taildragger Bristell TDO joins the line. A whole-aircraft rescue system becomes standard equipment.

2014

Everything under one roof

A second hangar unifies all operations — development, production and service — at one facility.

2015

Rotax 912 iS

The fuel-injected Rotax 912 iS joins the range, paired with single-lever control and a constant-speed propeller.

2016

Production capacity doubles

Two new manufacturing halls at the airport double what the factory can build.

2017

First with the Rotax 915 iS

BRM AERO is the first manufacturer to unveil the turbocharged Rotax 915 iS at AERO Friedrichshafen; Italian designer Mirco Pecorari refines the Bristell look.

2018

The 400th Bristell

Four hundred aircraft delivered — each one custom-built to its owner's specification.

2019

The Bristell B23 flies

The B23 — designed from the outset for EASA CS-23 and FAA Part 23 certification — takes its first flight. Development of the all-metal high-wing Bristell B8 begins, and a new 3,700 m² (39,800 sq ft) hangar opens.

2020

EASA CS-23 type certificate

The Bristell B23 is type-certified by EASA — the same certification standard applied to much larger aircraft. The strutless high-wing Bristell B8 launches.

2021

A team of 130+

The company grows past 130 people — without losing the family way of working.

2022

Approved for glider towing

The B23 with the Rotax 915 iSc is approved for towing gliders up to 800 kg (1,764 lbs).

2023

IFR-ready cockpits

Garmin avionics with autopilot and backup batteries become standard across the range.

2024

The 1,000th Bristell

The 1,000th aircraft leaves the factory just 15 years after founding — 112 of them in that year alone. EASA approves the B23 for IFR operations, and the Classic with the Rotax 916 iS is certified as a German ultralight (UL).

2025

FAA type certificate

The B23-912 earns an FAA Part 23 type certificate — the first FAA-certified Bristell, opening the U.S. training market.

2026

17 years on, still growing

More than 1,200 aircraft delivered through 30+ dealers on five continents — and development has never been busier.

Where We Stand

Among Europe's largest — and still family-sized.

More than 110 aircraft leave Kunovice every year — 112 in 2024 alone. Public delivery data places BRM AERO among the six largest aircraft manufacturers in Europe by annual production, alongside brands that have been building aircraft for generations.

That volume makes us one of Rotax's largest OEM customers. And it is still built the way it always was: one aircraft at a time, to each customer's specification, in a factory where the CEO knows everyone on the floor.

Production

All-metal. Over 90% made in-house.

Every Bristell airframe is aviation-grade metal, and more than 90% of its parts are cut, formed, welded, primed and assembled under one roof in Kunovice. From metal cutting and forming to a full hour of engine runs before the first flight — the whole journey happens in our own factory.

The Bristell production floor in Kunovice, with technicians working on aircraft in final assembly

A BRM AERO technician using a pneumatic tool on an all-metal airframe sub-assembly on the production line

Two men going through a printed document at a Bristell aircraft in the hangar, one seated in the open cockpit wearing an aviation headset

See how we build — step by step

People

One roof. 140+ people who build aircraft.

The engineers who model each aircraft in CATIA, the certified welders, the painters, the avionics installers and the factory pilots all work in Kunovice — one of the historic homes of Czech aviation.

Many of them have been here for most of the journey from two people to 140+. In a family company, experience stays.

Meet the team

BRM AERO team members on the factory floor in Kunovice

Join Us

Build Bristell aircraft with us.

A growing family company in Kunovice — engineering, production, flight test and more.

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Proof

Don't take our word for it.

Certificates, owners and the aviation press — three places to check what we claim.

Certified worldwide

EASA CS-23 type certificate since 2020, FAA Part 23 type certificate on the B23-912 since September 2025, UL approvals across Europe and LSA acceptance in the U.S.

View all certifications

In the media

What the aviation press writes when it flies a Bristell — reviews and features from magazines and pilot associations worldwide.

Browse press coverage

A Bristell aircraft climbing against the sky

What's Next

17 years in. Still climbing.

Development of the Bristell B23 with electric propulsion continues. The B23M line, developed for the United States, is opening a new market. New type approvals keep extending what a Bristell can do — training, touring, glider towing, IFR. Maturity, for us, has never meant slowing down.

Meet us before you decide

The best way to know a company is to fly what it builds. Book a demo flight, or find your nearest dealer.

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