There are a few truths in life—you know: death, taxes, and all that. If you’ve been involved in aviation more than a few years you know there’s another—our business is highly cyclical.
When the coronavirus pandemic began early last year no one knew exactly how it was going to impact aviation, but it didn’t take long to see that worldwide travel bans and other restrictions were going to have a massive drag on flight activity, aircraft purchases, maintenance, and more. As I’ve said before, we didn’t miss a beat here at Twin Commander Aircraft. Our work supporting the fleet didn’t waver. And I know from speaking with many of our Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Centers that many of them also stayed busy with inspections and upgrades.
What’s maybe even more surprising than last year’s shutdowns was how strongly everything roared back this year. Flight activity started coming back briskly in the beginning of the year, and soon the rest of the market came with it.
These unprecedented times continue to surprise and amaze. Aviation is in a place I’ve never seen it. Not only are people flying their Twin Commanders, they are upgrading them while others are trying to buy into our community, all at blistering rates.
If you’re new to the world of Twin Commanders, welcome. If you took a few months off to figure out the new world order and you’ve returned, welcome back. Either way, we at the factory and everyone at the Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Centers are ready to serve.
Without question, demand is strong. Demand for airplanes, demand for upgrades, and demand for parts. Yet challenges to growth remain. In “From the Shop Floor” this issue you’ll read about how global supply chains are delaying everything from big avionics upgrades to line maintenance. A combination of people getting sick, working remotely, or opting out of the workforce in general has placed significant labor pressures on almost every industry, aviation included. And this is on top of our already projected shortage of engineers, maintenance technicians, and pilots.
Add to this a global supply chain shortage impacting everything from semiconductors to rubber and it’s easy to see why some work orders are being scheduled farther out than shops and owners would like.
It’s a poignant reminder of the value of our network of Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Centers. These independently owned and operated facilities know the airframe, know how to service them, and what common parts are needed. They can look ahead to your next inspection or scheduled maintenance, and rather than react to what comes up in the inspection they can be prepared with items in stock and ready to go. You could easily save weeks of downtime. That’s what decades of airframe-specific experience and an infrastructure built around Twin Commanders can do for you.
To further complicate the aircraft sales market, demand has never been stronger. Talk to Twin Commander sales pros like we did for “Market Report” and you’ll find that buyers are lining up for airframes, and are simply having to wait for more inventory to come on the market. Current owners are reluctant to sell because they can’t find a replacement. Prices are strong, and a turn-key Twin Commander that comes on the market is a highly coveted airplane these days.
It’s no surprise why. Despite decades of aircraft development and advances in engines and aerodynamics, Twin Commanders occupy a spot in the market that no other airplane can fill. Even the earliest piston versions can carry a load efficiently like nothing else available today, as owner Blake Deal tells us. As Deal says, no other airplane has the mix of performance and panache.
Again, welcome back. We at Twin Commander will do everything in our power to serve the owner, the network and general flying community just like we have through past cycles, and those to come.
