McFarlane Aviation Acquires Airglas

September 30 , 2026 | BALDWIN CITY, KANSAS

McFarlane Aviation, a Victor Sierra Company, has acquired Airglas, Inc., the Anchorage, Alaska -based manufacturer of fiberglass skis, heavy -duty nose forks, and cargo and fuel pods for backcountry and military aircraft. Airglas will continue to manufacture its full product line in Anchorage with its existing team. For operators who have relied on these products for decades, the parts they order and the people building them remain unchanged. Airglas has earned its standing among pilots who operate off -airport, and that standing was built in Alaska by people who fly there.



“We have spent decades building equipment for pilots who land where there is no runway,” said Shane Lan g land , Owner of Airglas. “Joining McFarlane lets our team keep doing that work here in Alaska, while McFarlane’s distribution network puts our products in reach of pilots and mechanics around the world.”

Airglas’s focus on pilots who fly off-airport, onto snow, gravel, and everything in between, does not change. What changes is access: more pilots will be able to buy Airglas products quickly, wherever they are based.

McFarlane already supports bush airframes with products such as Alaskan Bushwheels , tailwheel suspension systems, and main landing gear for Cessna, Piper, Maule, Husky, and other popular airframes. Airglas extends that support with skis, nose forks, and cargo pods for operations on snow, tundra, and other off -airport terrain. Airglas products are built to standards developed for military aircraft, giving GA operators landing gear and equipment tested well beyond typical service conditions.

Airglas products are available now through McFarlane Alaska and will be available through McFarlane Aviation soon.

• Fiberglass Skis: Multiple models for Cessna, Piper, Maule, Husky, and other airframes.
• Heavy -Duty Nose Forks: Options for Cessna, Piper, and GippsAero Airvan aircraft, allowing installation of larger tires.
• Cargo & Fuel Pods: Added storage and fuel capacity for hunting, fishing, and camping trips.

“Adding Airglas to our family of brands strengthens our commitment to the Alaska market, expands our general aviation and military business, and advances our mission to keep customers flying,” said Scott Still, President of Victor Sierra. “Wherever our customers fly, we want the equipment they depend on within easy reach.”

Full product and ordering information is available at Airglas.com.

Seems like McFarlane & Hartzell are buying up everything.
I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Hartzel and Continental are both owned by Arcline Private investment, a private equity firm. McFarlane Aviation is owned by Victor Sierra Aviation, a holding company created by Vance Street Capital, another private equity operation. Private equity firms often strip the assets of the companies they acquire and raise the prices for products they sell to generate short term profits. When the companies stop performing, the private equity firms dump them and raise a toast to their short term financial success. I hope that won't be the case here, but I fear the worst.

Flyhound wrote:Hartzel and Continental are both owned by Arcline Private investment, a private equity firm. McFarlane Aviation is owned by Victor Sierra Aviation, a holding company created by Vance Street Capital, another private equity operation. .....

VSE also owns long-time aviation tire company Desser.
i bought some tires from them last year, got a good price but that to talk to like three different people to get:
1) product information
2) a quote, then
3) to actually place the order.
The bright side is that the person I talked to for #3 gave me a lower price than the person who talked to me at step #2.

I delt with Gary and Wess back in the day and they were great guys, akways helpfull and went the distance to keep us playing and working in the snow and on the sand with that big fork.

Later Cliff B would aleays answer his phone and my numerious question.

These consolidating so called “venture capiltalist” are one small part of extracting wealth from us lityle guys and concentrating more and more of that wralth on a tiny portion of people.

There is a line from a song that stuck with me, “capitalism is not democracy”

Rocket

rocket wrote:There is a line from a song that stuck with me, “capitalism is not democracy”

Democracy: One person, one vote
Capitalism: One dollar, one vote

Maybe there’s a silver lining in all this VC consolidation. If our favorite suppliers are generating healthy profits hopefully they’ll be around a while, and maybe those profits will attract some competition. Maybe.

Cheers.