Hartzell Bought By Equity Firm

Arcline Investment Management, an $8.9 billion private equity firm, has acquired Hartzell Aviation from Tailwind Technologies. The deal includes Hartzell’s two business units, the propeller business and Hartzell Engine Tech,…

Arcline Investment Management, an $8.9 billion private equity firm, has acquired Hartzell Aviation from Tailwind Technologies. The deal includes Hartzell's two business units, the propeller business and Hartzell Engine Tech, which makes engine subsystems ranging from turbochargers to engine mounts. “Our family has been blessed to be the stewards of Hartzell Aviation for 37 years. As we look to the future, we believe Arcline fully embraces our core value – Built on Honor – and will bring the skills and resources to build on over a century of excellence and innovation,” said Jim Brown, president of Hartzell Aviation.

Arcline says it will honor the century-plus history of the storied propeller maker and embark on an unspecified growth plan. “As investors exclusively focused on Critical Suppliers to Critical Industries, Hartzell’s portfolio of flight-critical propeller and engine subsystems for a large and long-lived installed base fits perfectly with Arcline’s strategy. We are excited to partner with the Hartzell team to carry on its legacy generated over the past 100 years and facilitate the Company’s next phase of growth,” the company said in a statement.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.