Turbine conversion company Blackhawk Modifications is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a bang. The company is doubling the size of its facility at the Waco Regional Airport (KACT) in Waco, Texas, adding hangar and office space. As part of the physical expansion, the company is gathering four groups under an umbrella company named Blackhawk Aerospace. Blackhawk’s headquarters have been based in Waco since 2006.
“Blackhawk Aerospace represents the culmination of each company’s core competencies coming together to make a sum that is greater than the parts,” said Jim Allmon, Blackhawk’s president and CEO.
The four groups comprise Blackhawk Modifications; Blackhawk Aircraft Sales; Blackhawk Composites, based in Morgantown, Kentucky; and Blackhawk Aerospace Solutions (formerly Vector-Hawk Aerospace), in Huntsville, Alabama.
Blackhawk is able to double its footprint in Waco by purchasing an adjacent 10,000 square-foot hangar. It already includes office space that will be used by the company’s sales and marketing teams. In its 20-year history, the company has developed more than 30 individual Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) to improve the performance and reduce the operational cost of turboprop aircraft, such as King Airs and Cessna Caravans.
More than 800 customers around the world are enjoying the benefits of the XP Engine+ Upgrades, one of Blackhawk’s STC offerings. The company also offers a full upgrade program, named Phoenix by Blackhawk, that includes the engine upgrade along with new paint, avionics and interior, and, in some cases, slight modifications to the airframe. The restructuring and expansion of Blackhawk Aerospace will enable the company to provide even more upgrades, performance enhancements and other modifications for the turbine market.
