Page 26 - Sept23T

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Jim Irwin of Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co.
by Lance Phillips
Bob and Flo with their Navion Rangemaster.
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. has a rich history, and quite possibly, some as- pects of the wide-ranging parts specialist aren’t well known. Post-Oshkosh, I had the chance to have a call with Jim Irwin, the second-gen- eration caretaker of Aircraft Spruce.
It was 1956 when Flo and Bob Irwin started Fullerton Air Parts at the Fullerton Municipal Airport in Southern California. For nine years, Fullerton Air Parts became one of the western United States’ largest retailers of aircraft parts supplies. The Irwins sold the business in 1965; however, they immediately realized another opportunity to serve avia- tors within the same industry. They
founded Aircraft Spruce Co., a supplier of aviation-grade spruce lumber for aircraft builders.
As they continued adding specialty parts to their new business’s catalog, they felt a new name could better describe the burgeoning operation, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. was born. Nowadays, Jim, Flo and Bob’s son, runs the business. He acquired the company in 1970 after graduat- ing with a marketing degree from Cal State Fullerton. Jim and his wife, Nanci, are both experienced pilots, and they’re deep into preparing the third generation of Irwins to take over sometime in the future. All three of their sons are pilots and work in the family business.
Bob and Flo Irwin.
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2023