Company Profile
McFarlane Aviation Products
Company Overview
McFarlane Aviation Products is a manufacturer of replacement parts for Cessna, Piper, Grumman, Beechcraft and Ag-Cat airplanes, as well as experimental, homebuilt and LSA aircraft. We have thousands of FAA-PMA part numbers on the shelf for immediate shipment. Our facility is conveniently located in the center of the United States near Baldwin City, KS on the Vinland Valley Aerodrome (K64). Our growing corporate office and manufacturing facility includes a campus of three buildings with more than 69,000 square feet of office space, inventory storage and factory floor. Our products are not simply duplicates of their OEM counterparts, but are engineered to be superior in quality and have a longer service life. In addition to quality improvements you also get a lower price. In fact, many McFarlane replacement parts sell for up to 60% less than the equivalent aircraft manufacturer’s part.
In addition to producing high quality replacement parts, McFarlane distributes a variety of general aviation products and accessories along with other manufacturer’s FAA-PMA products. Custom manufactured products and services are also provided with amazingly quick delivery. No matter what you purchase from McFarlane Aviation Products, you can rest assured that you are getting the highest quality product at the lowest price. McFarlane is a family owned business with old fashioned customer service.
Company History
The founder, Dave McFarlane, created McFarlane Aviation in 1970. The company did aircraft repair and restoration part time while Dave concentrated on agricultural aviation activities in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Iowa. In 1978 Dave bought the Vinland Valley Aerodrome (K64) and moved the company there where it is located today. The quaint little country airport is located in Eastern Kansas ten miles southeast of Lawrence Kansas, the home of Kansas University and Haskell Indian Nations University and four miles North of Baldwin City, the home of Baker University. The runway was built in a beautiful Valley on the old railroad right-of-way in Vinland, Kansas, a pioneer ghost town. A few old store buildings, two old churches, several houses, and the oldest library in Kansas are all that remains of the once thriving frontier settlement. Fred McClenahan joined Dave and his wife Phylis there and they provided aircraft repair, restoration, rental, flight instruction, and agricultural aviation services. Fred plays a key role today in developing and testing the McFarlane product line.
The company prospered and grew and in 1986 it was incorporated as McFarlane Aviation, Inc. As the years went by, it became apparent to Dave and Fred, that there was a need for improvement in many of the aircraft parts they were installing. It was difficult to explain to customers why they paid so much for a part that had to be replaced again a few years later. In 1989 the company started in a new direction. Improved designs and new materials were developed and tested for the Cessna seat rollers and washers. Aircraft owners accepted them as being far superior to the OEM parts while costing much less. Sales of these first products grew rapidly and customers requested more products. New replacement parts were developed and approved by the FAA while manufacturing equipment, talented people, and quality control systems were added and improved. The manufacturing activity grew rapidly and by 1993 all other operations except for basic airport services were sadly phased out. Since then, the company has focused only on the development, testing, manufacturing, and distribution of quality FAA-PMA products. In 1997 an additional 9,500 square feet of office and manufacturing space was constructed. In 2012 the facility was doubled in size by adding 24,000 square feet of production and warehouse space (photos), and again in 2016 McFarlane added another 24,000 square feet (photos). Today McFarlane holds design approval and FAA-PMA for thousands of different replacement parts for several different makes of light aircraft. McFarlane distributors are serving major aviation centers around the world.
The experience of the past and constant input from knowledgable customers have given McFarlane engineers vast knowledge of aircraft service demands that are the foundation of improved products. The pioneering spirit lives on in Vinland, Kansas and McFarlane Aviation will continue to develop innovative solutions for light aircraft service problems.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
2018 Kansas Governor's Award of Excellence Winner
Benefits
• Pilot License Reimbursement Plan
• Employee Profit Sharing
• Education Benefits
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Time off to vote
• Medical Reimbursement Program
• SIMPLE IRA Retirement Plan
• Holidays (6 Paid fixed, 1 Paid floating)
• Sick Benefits
• Unpaid Paternity Leave
• Unpaid time-off
• Vacation
• Bereavement Leave
• Life Insurance
• College Bound Fund
• Cancer Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Adoption Benefits
• Direct Deposit
• Flexible Spending Arrangement for Out-of-Pocket Medical/ Daycare