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Component Repair Operation Gaining Momentum

Spring/Summer 2016

In Fall of 2015 Legacy Aviation acquired the assets of Higher Planes Component Repair and Overhaul Service. The business was relocated from Texas and co-located at Legacy Aviation’s FBO/MRO base at Page Airport (KRCE).

Since the dust has settled on the acquisition and the move, Legacy’s FAA Part 145 component overhaul and repair business hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, Legacy’s management has added strength to the business as evidenced by a solid backlog of component repair business.

RJ Gomez, Legacy’s founder and CEO, saw a good business in Higher Planes and knew how to make it better. “We have taken a very good business in Higher Planes and have worked hard (and smart) to uncover new opportunities for the business while trying to provide more value to our customers,” Gomez says. Co-locating the business with Legacy’s MRO operation was a key strategic decision. Adds RJ, “Most component repair and overhaul businesses are not in the same location where aircraft are being worked on. The benefit to having a Part 145 component repair business in the same location as the aircraft is convenience and reduced downtime. Components don’t need to be removed and packaged up for shipping to another destination, then returned, unpacked and reinstalled. We have the benefit of having the aircraft right here and the component work is completed faster and with a better eye toward quality in terms of the work being done expertly and the aircraft returned to service in less time. It’s a huge benefit to our customers.”

Legacy Aviation Services component repair and overhaul facility is a single source operation offering complete repair and overhaul service to a wide range of airframe system components for many aircraft types.

Legacy offers highly trained and technical overhaul and repair expertise to MROs around the world who need the best and most comprehensive assistance in servicing complex aircraft systems and components.

Legacy Aviation Services’ MRO utilizes CNC machining, calibrated hydraulic test equipment, dye-penetrant and Magnaflux particle inspection equipment in the repair and overhaul process to meet the demanding standards your operation needs.

Call us today, and see what Legacy Aviation Components can do for you.

 

More Ramp = More Convenience

Spring 2016

For those who have visited Clarence E. Page Airport and Legacy Aviation, you know it’s a very convenient and generous facility. In fact, Legacy’s motto about their base location is good, better, best…as in Good Airport, Better Fuel Prices and Best Service!

The airport is located less than 15 miles west of downtown OKC and outside the class B airspace. The airport offers multiple instrument approaches and an adequate 6000’ runway that is wide enough to comfortably serve large jet aircraft. Fuel is always available and very competitively priced.

So how does Legacy find a way to improve on that? By adding significantly more ramp space, of course!

Legacy recently negotiated with city airport authorities to take control of the generous ramp area that adjoins its existing ramp area just south of the FBO. Until recently this area had been designated as a short and long term tie down area for general aviation and local aircraft residents of KRCE.

Those tied down in the area have been relocated on the airport and this additional ramp area becomes available to Legacy and its customers. Now, this area expands Legacy’s ramp capacity significantly and creates space that will easily accommodate several mid to large sized business jets simultaneously as well as provide safe and secure transient parking at Legacy’s newly remodeled FBO facility.

Taxi ways and ground movement areas are also wide and accommodating everywhere at KRCE.

Michael Fitch, Legacy’s FBO Manager, is glad to have more room to operate in. “It’s a huge benefit to our customers. Aircraft of all sizes will have a far easier time maneuvering on our ramp and will have no problem parking there for as long as they want while staying in Oklahoma City,” he says.

Adding a significant amount of ramp capacity to an airport and FBO whose creed is already Good, Better, Best you have no reason NOT to stop by for any service you, your passengers or crew could ever need.

Give Legacy and our expanded facility a try. We promise you’ll be impressed.

 

Interior Artisans and their Legacy Masterpieces

Spring/Summer 2015

The folks who operate in Legacy’s interior refurbishment shop are not what you would call typical “interior guys.” Not at all, they are more akin to being referred to as Interior Artisans, highly trained and specialized in the art of making an aircraft cabin the place you want to spend the most time.

As aircraft cabin-material technology advances, there are more accoutrement options available to pilots and passengers that make their travels comfortable and even luxurious. But there is no substitute for the meticulous attention to detail and the use of the finest leather, hand crafted wood and composite materials manipulated by the artists at Legacy’s interior shop who turn out interior masterpieces that meet the quality, fit and finish of any top tier interior shop in the world.

Recently, Legacy began an interior renovation of N80PH, a 1981 Turbo Commander and its Clarence Page / Legacy Aviation based customer.

Debra Brakefield, Legacy’s Interior Shop Manager, is very proud of the end result. “The customer came to us with an idea of what they wanted in a new interior scheme. After some back and forth discussion, we created a design scheme that matched exactly what they were looking for.”

While at Legacy having the interior work done, the owner of N80PH also decided it is time for an avionics upgrade. Lonnie Walden and his avionics team will upgrade N80PH with Garmin GMA 35, GTN 750, GTN 650, GTX 345R and GTX 335R.

Leaving the Legacy shop, N80PH will be a fresh and modern equipped model 840 Commander ready to go back to work and keep its pilot and passengers comfortable and safe for many flight hours.

In other interior shop news While not really the size of aircraft Legacy typically works with, Legacy displayed a little civic appreciation recently by helping its neighboring Canadian County Sherriff’s Department with a few interior upgrades to its patrol Cessna 172. RJ Gomez was more than happy to help out. “Everyone at Legacy has tremendous appreciation for our Law Enforcement and while this is not a typical sized aircraft we work on, we were more than happy to freshen up the interior of their 172 in order to make the officers who are keeping us safe a bit more comfortable.”

Bravo, team Legacy!!

 

Fresh Cookies and Cool Stories from a Vet Pilot of 3 Wars

Spring 2016

George Budde has been a fan of Clarence E. Page Airport for at least a quarter of a century and of Legacy Aviation for nearly as long. “George is an icon here at Clarence Page Airport,” Michael Fitch, Sales/Marketing Director says of Mr. Budde who is a veteran pilot of three wars. “He has a hangar here where he keeps his aircraft and comes by almost every day to say hello and visit his friends. He brings cookies to go with Legacy’s coffee and always has a story to go along with the treats.”

“Yep, I’ve had quite a career,” says the 94 year old aviator.

Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin George worked on the family farm planting and harvesting. A committed athlete, climbing ropes on the farm gave him the strength and stamina to become the Outstanding Athlete in the decathlon upon graduating from the Air Force. In 1945 he received his wings. “I started in the Air Force towards the end of WWII in 1945. I received my commission, wings and the Outstanding Athlete award. That was quite a year.”

Following WWII and still active in the Air force, Budde was never one to have an idle moment. He spent 3 years working with his brother operating a civilian flight school training GIs until he was called to Korea to fly combat missions. Part of that training was a year at the Minnesota Air National Guard flying a P51 Mustang. Since the effort in Korea was short on pilots, one of Budde’s mission was to fly aerial targets while training fighter pilots. After 20 Korean combat missions, George found himself suddenly grounded by a shrapnel wound to the ‘backside’ that he took from a non-flying incident while working around live ammunition and was temporarily grounded. “I spent 7-1/2 weeks in the hospital. The nurses sure got a lot of good looks at my butt,” he laughs.

Budde went on to finish 100 missions in Korea. “The good Lord was with me.”

Flying was and still is part of George. It’s in his blood. Raising a family in 1958 at Tinker AFB, he joined the Oklahoma National Guard and received his Mach I pin flying an F-86 Sabre, an award for flying faster than the speed of sound. Then Vietnam called. “Holy mackerel! I was hauling parts and troops and flying a C-97, Boeing Stratocruiser” Retiring in 1973 as a Lt. Colonel from the Air Force, George continued flying as a civilian flight instructor, crop dusting and working for the FAA; qualifying and flying 11 different types of airplanes, jets and helicopters.

About those planes in his hangar? Among others, there are a number of Cassutt race planes which George flew during his time as a Reno racer, fondly known as the very popular and fast Okie Swinger. Not surprisingly for a man with aviation fuel running through his veins, Mr. Budde also had a career in the airlines, flying the line in a C46 for Riddle Airlines, based in San Antonio.

With 24,000 hours of PIC flying that includes 4,000 hours of instruction, George has endured an adventurous (and reasonably safe) flying career. One most of us view with amazement, respect, and wonderment…along with a little jealousy. Asked what his favorite aircraft to fly was, George replies immediately, “A P51.” His son-in-law, with a few local media connections, was able to get George back in a P51 for his 80th birthday. It was like coming home. That birthday was a while ago and George still surrounds himself with aviation just about every day. “That’s why I love stopping in at Legacy every morning. There’s always something different going on and they’re always working on different planes. This is a good place to be.”

Stop in and say Hi to George when you’re at Legacy for fuel or maintenance. He’ll share his cookies and maybe a story or two.