Superior Air Parts
 | |
| Private company | |
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Coppell, Texas, United States |
Key people | CEO: Tim Archer |
| Products | Aircraft engines and parts |
| Owner | Superior Aviation Beijing |
| Website | www.superiorairparts.com |
Superior Air Parts, Inc. is a manufacturer of aviation piston engine replacement parts, headquartered in Coppell, Texas, United States and owned by the Chinese company Superior Aviation Beijing.
Superior air parts started as a manufacturer of valve guides in 1967. The company branched out into FAA/PMA approved parts for general aviation aircraft. The company manufactures replacement parts for Lycoming and Continental aircraft engines. The cylinder assemblies use newer cylinder head alloys and fully hardened cylinder liners.[1] Most of the company's production is outsourced, with Superior ensuring that the parts meet their engineering and testing standards.[2] In 2008, Superior Air Parts parent company Thielert declared bankruptcy. Superior was sold to Superior Aviation Beijing (Qingdao Brantly Investment Group and Beijing Suyoupeirui Company).
At AirVenture 2012 CEO Tim Archer announced that the company was recovering from its bankruptcy and that the Chinese investment had been critical in that turn around. The company was at that time able to ship almost 90% of parts in its catalog and was training Chinese technicians in Vantage engine production for the Asian market.[3]
Engines
| Model name | First run | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Air Parts Vantage | Four cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine | ||
| Superior Air Parts XP-360 | Four cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled aircraft engine | ||
References
- ↑ J. Mac Mclellan (August 1996). "A Superior Solution?". Flying.
- ↑ "Talking About GPS, PMA". Flying: 8. January 1993.
- ↑ Bertorelli, Paul (15 July 2012). "Superior Air Parts: Uptick in Sales Fuels Recovery". AVweb. Retrieved 24 July 2012.