Central Cylinder, a certified repair station in Omaha, Nebraska, has optimized its operations by concentrating on in-house engine work, reducing turnaround times significantly in the face of industrywide parts shortages and backlogs.
The family-owned business offers unique capabilities that set it apart from competitors, including welding and repairing crankcases, rebuilding cylinders, regrinding cams and tappets, and performing nondestructive testing.
The company handles nearly all processes in-house, only outsourcing crankshaft nitriding, which eliminates delays from external vendors and shipping.
“When it comes to this day and age with all the backlogs on getting parts and machine work, you bring me your engine, I don’t have to wait six to eight months to get a crankcase back or to get a cam ground. We do it in real time,” said David Czarnecki, co-owner of Central Cylinder. “The buck stops here because I can’t blame [anybody else and day] so and so did the crankcase, call him, or, well, we didn’t do the mag, [call them].”
Founded by Czarnecki’s father in 1973, Central Cylinder has operated from the same location near Eppley Airfield (KOMA) since 1983. The business now spans three generations of Czarneckis, with David’s father still mentoring younger employees at 81 years old.
This family atmosphere extends to the workforce, which includes employees who have been with the company for decades.
“My biggest asset in business today is absolutely my employees. I’ve got a good crew,” Czarnecki said. “All of my people have been here quite some time, and they’re all mechanical people. You know, their hobbies are airboats or race cars..”
The company has recently shifted its business strategy to better serve its customers.
“We’ve gotten so overwhelmed with outside work,” he said. “In other words, pallets of crankcases coming…piles of connecting rods. So we’ve kind of retuned the business a little bit over the past few years. We’re still doing that work, but we’re kind of controlling the gate. We’re doing that by appointment and concentrating more on our overhauls, inspections…complete engines to speed up our turn time.”
This strategic shift has positioned Central Cylinder to address a critical industry need. With flight schools struggling to keep enough aircraft operational and private owners maintaining aging aircraft, the ability to rebuild components quickly has become increasingly valuable. The company’s capacity to rebuild cylinders in “real time” when new ones aren’t available has been particularly important during recent supply chain disruptions.
As the only company still servicing Simmons fuel injection systems for Beechcraft Queen Airs and Aero Commanders, Central Cylinder continues to invest in specialized equipment, including a recently acquired, state-of-the-art magnetic particle machine custom-built for its operations.
These investments point to the company’s commitment to maintaining its competitive edge through enhanced in-house capabilities and reduced turnaround times.
For more information, visit www.centralcylinder.com.
Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Central Cylinders. The content was developed with input from the sponsor, but the editorial team at FLYING has reviewed it to ensure it provides useful information for our readers. Sponsored content helps support our reporting while offering insights into products, services, and innovations relevant to the aviation community.
