Airforms’ Baffling Business is Booming

Lee Budde’s business plan, back in 1998, started out with building enhanced Supercub fuselages, including a wider version. That led to the development of Airframes Inc., a company that has been very successful. Not one to rest on well-earned laurels, however, Lee knew that a lot of the aircraft in Alaska suffer abuse due to off airport landings and deferred maintenance resulting from parts unavailability or unreasonable pricing.  Requests from commercial aircraft operators inspired Lee to develop various STCs and PMAs for items like brake discs, door hinges, bolts for nosewheel struts, or banged up baffles.

So it was that he launched his second successful business in 2008: Airforms, Inc. As he addressed some of the Alaskan pilots’ needs, he began getting requests for parts (even prototype parts)… from all over the world. Today, Airforms holds nearly a thousand PMAs. They have more awaiting FAA approval.

One of the most successful issues Lee addressed was engine baffle kits. Baffles wear out, get bent or fall apart. Starting with the Supercub, Lee found that he could duplicate the original baffles and sell them for a lot less than OEM prices. He now holds PMAs for replacement baffle kits for 60 different models of Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Mooney, and Grumman. He has hundreds of different baffle assemblies in inventory, ready to ship.

With all the aging certified aircraft, Lee has shipped over 5,000 baffle kits during the time that he’s been in the business.

Airforms will be introducing several new baffle kits later this year.

They are also a leading supplier for STCs and replacement parts for the Cessna Caravan and CASA series aircraft.

For more information on baffle kits and other parts, visit Airform.biz