Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. is an American producer of
aircraft parts and services including plans for
homebuilt aircraft.
History
Aircraft Spruce Co. was founded in 1965 by Bob and Flo Irwin as a follow-on to founding Fullerton Air Parts. Initially the company sold only one product: aircraft grade
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
lumber for aircraft construction and restoration. Aircraft Spruce Co. added more products and adopted the name Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co.
Jim Irwin, Bob and Flo's older son, managed kit programs such as the
Vari-Eze in 1975 while still in college. In 1978 Jim acquired the company, and he became president in 1980.
Aircraft Spruce was housed in
Fullerton, California
Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617.
Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...
, from 1965 until 1997 in a historic Fullerton former citrus packing house. It then moved to a facility in
Corona, California
Corona (Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and north ...
. Aircraft Spruce East moved to a new facility in
Peachtree City, Georgia
Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, Fayette County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta.
P ...
, in 2004. Aircraft Spruce Canada was opened in
Toronto in 2006, and moved to the
Brantford, Ontario Airport in 2008 with a new facility coming online in 2016. In 2019, Aircraft Spruce opened two new facilities with Aircraft Spruce Midwest operating in a facility in
West Chicago, Illinois, and Aircraft Spruce Alaska in a building in
Wasilla, Alaska.
Ron Alexander's Alexander Aeroplane Company was purchased and integrated into the company. The Aviation Book Company was purchased in late 2014.
Founder Bob Irwin died on 26 June 2015 at his home in
Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Aircraft kits and plans
Aircraft Spruce has the rights to sell kits and plans for a large selection of homebuilt aircraft.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co
Homebuilt aircraft
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles
Manufacturing in Riverside County, California
Manufacturing companies established in 1965
1965 establishments in California