Intelligence: News

Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, is acquiring the business of WECO Aerospace Systems, Inc., a privately held aviation-component overhaul company specializing in electrical, electronic accessories and flight instrument services. The business will retain the WECO name and become part of Gulfstream’s Product Support business operations. The purchase is expected to close by the end of the first quarter 2007. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

"This acquisition furthers our commitment to providing outstanding product support for our fleet operators. Gulfstream has been one of WECO’s biggest customers," said Bryan Moss, president, Gulfstream. According to Larry Flynn, president, product support, Gulfstream, the acquisition makes sense for both parties.

"For Gulfstream, this agreement augments our current overhaul capabilities on the West Coast, something our customers have requested for a long time. As for WECO, it ensures a continuous flow of business and greatly expands their resources," Flynn said.

Founded by father and son Hal and Bill Weygandt in 1974, WECO employs approximately 75 people who work at either of the company’s two California offices, one in Lincoln, and the other in Burbank. Bill Weygandt, president of WECO, will retain his position and title. "Gulfstream will continue to ‘farm out’ the same type of work to WECO as it has in the past, avionics and electrical components," said Flynn. He went on to say that WECO has been a quality vendor to Gulfstream for many, many years. "This mutually beneficial relationship led us to the acquisition," Flynn added. "We have been doing business with the Gulfstream organization for over 25 years," said Weygandt.

WECO will continue to work with all of their existing customers, and will focus on additional opportunities to expand their relationship with corporate flight departments, which is their primary source of business outside of what they do with Gulfstream. "Gulfstream has always been in our top 10 customers listing. Although our activity with Gulfstream will increase, we will continue to service all the markets and products categories in the aircraft and helicopter industry [as we did prior to the sale]," Weygandt said.

"This gives us a couple of overhaul and repair facilities on the West Coast. Our customers on the West Coast can send components to Burbank or Lincoln, California rather than all the way back to Savannah, Georgia. This is something our customers have wanted for a long time," said Flynn.

Superior’s Timothy Archer Resigns as the Company’s President and CEO

Superior Air Parts has announced that Timothy T. Archer has resigned as the company’s president and CEO. "Over the past 12 months, Tim has been instrumental in helping me complete Thielert’s acquisition of Superior and the merging of our two companies," said Frank Thielert, CEO, Thielert AG. "Superior has gone through a number of changes in the past year and Tim’s guidance has kept the company stable through it all."

"Words cannot express how proud I am of what I, and my team here at Superior, have accomplished in just eight short years," Archer said. "With the recent FAA certification of the Vantage Engine, to becoming part of Thielert AG, I have helped grow Superior from a leading PMA parts supplier to the newest, most innovative, piston engine manufacturer in general aviation." Archer’s last day as Superior’s president and CEO was Friday, January 26, 2007.

Yingling Aviation Welcomes Older Aircraft

Citing recent reports that some aircraft maintenance and repair facilities were turning away aircraft older than 18 years of age because of insurance and liability concerns and because that age puts the aircraft beyond the statute of repose limits established in the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, Yingling Aviation, the longtime Cessna affiliate at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport, responded by stating "we welcome customers who are flying older models. We have established maintenance procedures, tooling and expertise working on Cessna single and twin engine aircraft, and are located across from the factory, so if we run into an anomaly, Cessna’s product support is minutes away," noted Lynn Nichols, president of Yingling.

Some facilities have expressed concern that the focus of litigation in the case of an accident involving an older aircraft could shift to the maintenance shop. "I would not argue that plaintiff attorneys have and will migrate their lawsuits towards aircraft maintenance and avionics facilities when they have a legacy aircraft incident. That is a good reason why all maintenance facilities should have properly trained personnel, impeccable inspection procedures, and a quality assurance program," Nichols said.

Storms Cause Trouble for Small Shops in Midwest

Storms are bringing unprecedented snowfall and ice accumulations. Heavy snows fell in California and Mexico, ice storms laid four inches of ice in Oklahoma, Denver received back-to-back city-stopping snows, and tornados occurred on Christmas Day in Daytona Beach. All these devastating winter storms have hindered the general aviation industry with damage, power outages, and crippled smaller airports that do not have snow and ice removal equipment. These natural weather phenomena are also causing revenue losses.

Facilities located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, received several hundred thousand dollars worth of damage, and a substantial loss of revenue. The hangar that houses Rourke Aviation’s maintenance facility was hit especially hard during the most recent round of storms. After experiencing 12 inches of snow that closed the facility due to structural failure, the last round brought heavy ice loads and an avalanche. Ice sheets cascaded off of the round roof of their vintage 1940s hangar, and slammed into the offices below. Water damaged office equipment, carpet, walls and tools. In an effort to move ahead, the owners of the property are bringing in temporary offices for the affected businesses until the damaged areas can be rebuilt. Within a four-week period, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Texas received three major winter events. "I saw the brotherhood within the aviation community come together like never before," said Mitch Muller, owner of Rourke Aviation Inc. "Companies were joined for short periods of time, lending facilities, manpower and helping in any way that they could."