Mar. 29—BEMIDJI — The world's largest inventory of original P-51 mustang parts has officially landed in the hands of the AirCorps Depot in Bemidji.
Acquiring and managing this grand inventory of historic World War II aircraft parts comes with a whole lot of responsibility, and Eric Trueblood, vice president of sales and marketing at AirCorps Aviation, is confident it landed in the right hands.
"We're well equipped now to handle this, it's a lot of responsibility. These airplanes mean a lot to people and they fly in countries all over the world," Trueblood said. "So it's a big responsibility to be the gatekeeper to that inventory and to manage it so that these airplanes can continue to inspire and tell the story of World War II and the people that built these airplanes back at home."
As the Pioneer Aero Service P-51 inventory arrived in Bemidji in early March, it allows the
AirCorps team
to better meet the needs of P-51 owners, operators and shops.
Upon the purchase of the inventory, Trueblood mentioned it was not only for the sole intent of depleting it but also with a goal to maintain, replenish and use its capital and network to acquire parts vital to the warbird industry.
"Our approach is to look at it through the lens of someone who has a responsibility to the maintenance of these airplanes. We think about a lot of the things that would be convenient for us as a shop and we want to offer those to the industry as well," Trueblood said.
He explained that as a restorer and a maintainer, they have different lenses than someone who only sells parts.
"I would say we have a much more proactive approach to providing solutions and knowing what it takes to keep these airplanes flying safely, just like we have been doing," he added.
Along with AirCorps' goal of providing world-class parts to customers all over the world, they also strive to put more out into the warbird industry than they take out by innovating and keeping the history of these aircraft alive and flying safely for future generations and years to come.
The goal is not just to restore the planes, but to uncover the story behind each one.
The founders of AirCorps Aviation formed a dream so big it couldn't be achieved until they grew into the thriving shop of over 50 employees who serve both the warbird and broader aerospace markets they are today.
They refer to this dream as a moonshot.
Eleven years ago, with just four partners who were working on the road, without a shop and running up warbirds in the parking lot of a former beer distributorship, the idea of buying Pioneer Aero Services P-51 inventory was their moonshot.
"It definitely felt like a moonshot when we were effectively working on the road. We didn't really have the team that we have today and now we're well-equipped to handle a lot of responsibility," Trueblood said.
From humble beginnings, building up a business and doing the work they love along the way, the stars aligned when the opportunity to acquire the incredible inventory came to be.
"I think the dream of having an acquisition like this is something you kind of have in the back of your mind — wishing we had all those parts here, wishing we had the ability to manage those parts the way we think that they should be managed," Trueblood said. "We went into our business in 2011 dreaming about being able to slowly chip away at building a better business and hiring and working with great people and for great people. Those things come together and they help you turn that dream into a reality."
The Pioneer Aero Service P-51 inventory was owned and operated by Elmer Ward and later, his son Bret Ward took over the business.
In 1987, the Ward family purchased the assets of Lefty Gardner and Gordon Plaskett of Cavalier Aircraft Corporation.
This investment held significance because it created a stockpile of parts, drawings and tooling that elevated the Pioneer Aero Service into the position of being the largest supplier of P-51 mustang parts in the world — every P-51 that flies today has parts and components purchased from this inventory.
"The (Ward) family had reached out to us about buying the business and we were able to do that," Trueblood said. "It's an exciting thing that it brings the largest stockpile of WWII parts for the P-51s that are flying all over the world and it allows us to take our capabilities and repair, inspect and manage this inventory in a way that continues to ensure that these airplanes are flying safely and are well known."
This grand inventory of parts consisting of 111 boxes and weighing over 111,000 pounds was moved to Bemidji in early March and into the hands of the AirCorps Depot.
Trueblood added that most of these parts were packaged during WWII and still remain perfectly sealed. He said the amount of care the parts were given during the war ensures that they can be put into service today.
"Buying something today and knowing it was packaged 75 years ago, there are still parts that the last person to ever touch them was like a Rosie the Riveter," he said. "It's almost like finding a little treasure every time you open one of those original packages.
"They didn't know that the packaging or the fabrication of the part they sealed away would mean that the next time that package was opened would be 75 or 80 years later, I think that's just like a really fascinating thing."
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