Does it seem to anyone else that there has there has been a spate of aircraft restoration shops and parts supplier consolidations and closures in recent years? For example:
- 7 March 2014 - Air Repair's Stearman collection acquired by RARE Aircraft
- 2 October 2017 - Jay Wisler's collection bought by Fagen Fighters Restoration[1][2]
- 9 February 2023 - Pioneer Aero Services inventory acquired by AirCorps Depot
- Spring 2023 - Ace Allisons acquired by Strix Aero and C&P Aviation[3]
- 13 May 2024 - Dusters & Sprayers Supply acquired by AirCorps Depot
- 10 June 2025 - Hovey Machine Products Merlin collection acquired by Roush Aviation
- 26 June 2025 - Covington closes radial overhaul shop
Plus, it's not just warbirds either. Aircraft Spruce did a lot of acquiring as well:
- January 1996 - Alexander Aeroplane Company[4]
- Late 2014 - Aviation Book Company[5]
- 17 September 2018 - A.E.R.O. in Stock[6]
- By March 2024 - Eastern Aero Supply[7]
- May or June 2024 - Wag-Aero[8][9]
- 1 August 2024 - Pilotshop.com[10]
There's even been merging of aviation publications, with Flying, The Aviation Consumer, Plane & Pilot, Kitplanes, Aviation Safety, IFR, AVWeb and AirlineGeeks among others now all under the Firecrown Media banner.
[11] (Since its acquisition of Flying in 2021, Firecrown has also branched out into other transportation related periodicals.
[12])
I don't know. Maybe this was the way it always was and now there's just more news about it - after all, Univair did a similar kind thing decades ago with type certificates - but it seems like the pace has picked up. If this is indeed the case, I also don't know if its a good thing or not. On the one hand, there's less competition and a greater likelihood to simply shut down unprofitable elements, but on the other there's the benefits of a one-stop shop. Plus, it's not hard to imagine that the old one-man shop arrangement is no longer sustainable with a shrinking number of customers, growing costs and an increasingly limited parts supply. Perhaps, just like the
genealogy of American aircraft manufacturers, its simply a sign of a maturing industry.
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