This month, we had the pleasure of talking with Raisbeck Engineering’s senior consultant, Randy Groom. Randy has had a long career in general aviation, and much of his work has focused, directly or indirectly, on improving the performance and/or utility of Beechcraft and Cessna airplanes through Raisbeck’s FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) work.
Randy has been flying since high school, and he continued to fly charter and instruct others during his undergraduate work in zoology at Oklahoma State University, later earning an MBA. After college, he approached multiple aircraft OEMs to see if someone out there could use an eager, experienced pilot with raw business acumen. Cessna answered the call. They needed a sales training instructor to write a curriculum for the Conquest turboprop program. While on the west side of Wichita, one of Randy’s OSU graduate friends, who happened to work on the east side of town (Beechcraft territory), let him know that Beech was looking for an assistant regional manager. There would be a lot of flying and working with the Beech dealer network. That sounded pretty good, so he made the switch.
We could literally write a whole article on Randy’s progression in aviation, but this article is about Raisbeck, so I’ll abbreviate some of Randy’s next adventures. From Beechcraft, Randy was recruited by one of Beech’s (and Raisbeck’s) dealers, Piedmont. After years of working toward and earning the number two leadership role at the company, he was brought back to Beechcraft, this time in executive leadership. He later started a robust consulting business. Soon, another executive leadership role opened in Vero Beach, Florida (yep, Piper this time).
Lance Phillips: Randy, thank you for joining me today. With AirVenture just around the corner, will Raisbeck display anything new this year?
Randy Groom: This year the EPIC Caravan, which has never been seen before, will be on display. In addition, we’ll have a fully-equipped Raisbeck EPIC King Air B200 at the show.
LP: The EPIC Caravan was announced last year in April. What models does the STC pertain to and what does it do for performance?
RG: The STC applies to Caravan 208B models. It’s comprised of a composite cargo pod fairing and dual metal aft body strakes. Operators will realize at least a five-knot cruise speed increase and better range. The new pod fairing reduces drag greatly and only weighs 38 lbs. The strakes significantly improve lateral stability. Interestingly, the majority of our prospective clients for the EPIC Caravan are international operators, so we are going all over the world demonstrating and talking about it. It’s super exciting for u
LP: Tell me a little about the new five-blade swept propeller STC for King Air 300s.
RG: It’s a significant enhancement to the heavy 300s, including the 350, 360 and MC-12W. Operators will realize increased thrust and cruise speed, lower noise and better landing performance. They’re carbon fiber and weigh almost 54 lbs. less than the original props. They also look very cool and have unlimited blade life.
LP: Raisbeck STCs are standard equipment on Textron Aviation’s King Air production line. How is the relationship with the OEM, and do you anticipate any new programs with other OEMs in the future?
RG: As you know, we have a strong and healthy relationship with Textron Aviation. Raisbeck ram air recovery systems are standard on the King Air 260, and Raisbeck aft strakes and wing lockers are standard on the 360. We’re excited about our Caravan programs and hope to possibly have some new STCs for the current production EX in the future.
As far as other OEMs, we don’t have anything planned necessarily, but we’re always looking for opportunities to improve performance and utility for operators.
LP: What is unique about the EPIC packages? Obviously, there are other propeller and aircraft upgrades out there, even from the OEMs themselves.
RG: The EPIC packages come with certified performance in the form of certified flight manual supplements. This means that Raisbeck has done the work and invested funding into proving our performance upgrades through flight testing, which has then been certified by the FAA. For instance, our King Air 200 EPIC Platinum program provides operators with swept-blade propellers, ram air recovery, enhanced leading edges, dual aft body strakes and high-float gear. Operators can also take credit for the runway performance, which is incredibly important and differentiates Raisbeck’s upgrades because we went to the expense of certifying everything.
LP: With Raisbeck’s recent announcement of the five-year general service administration (GSA) multiple award schedule (MSA) agreement with the US government, can you talk about anything new on the horizon?
RG: Yes, the GSA schedule is significant because it makes Raisbeck’s products accessible through a simplified buying process to state and federal government agencies. It certainly expands our footprint in the federal government marketplace. Last year, we completed a large US Army contract in which we added our five-blade propellers to around 42 C-12s, the military’s King Air B200 equivalent. We definitely want to increase our government and special mission activities, and that’s why we have pursued the GSA certification.
LP: From a personnel standpoint, the last three years at Raisbeck have been pretty dramatic. The whole aviation world mourned James Raisbeck’s passing in August 2021. What other changes have occurred and where do you see Raisbeck’s direction moving forward?
RG: James Raisbeck’s passing was definitely a huge loss for the company. Raisbeck Engineering was his brainchild, and his entrepreneurial spirit went into the company. He set us on an incredible trajectory. Since his passing though we have brought in a new president Hal Chrisman, new engineering leadership, and new sales and marketing leadership, as well as our new CFO, Don Graves. Hal is focused on positioning Raisbeck with strong talent going forward. And he has the complete support of our ownership at Acorn Growth who acquired Raisbeck in 2016. They’re always interested in how they can help reinvest in Raisbeck and support future opportunities.
LP: What can we expect from the Raisbeck team in the future?
RG: We carefully study general aviation platforms where we believe there are opportunities to increase performance or utility. There is also room for growth in our parts business. Raisbeck has FAA parts manufacturing authorization (PMA) and partners with other manufacturers. We see opportunities for growth in that business.
LP: In closing, what would you say is the biggest selling point for the Raisbeck upgrades to King Airs and Caravans?
RG: Honestly, it’s the smile on a pilot’s face when they push the power levers forward on an EPIC-equipped King Air and are demonstrably forced back into their seat by the additional thrust or when they see the increased climb, cruise speeds or stopping performance on the runway. It’s real performance that can be seen and felt by the crew and passengers. And as for the workhorse Caravan, it is all about providing more speed, fuel economy and a better bottom line for the operators. They’re special enhancements.
Many thanks again to Randy Groom for spending time with me. Now I am looking forward to a future article on the real-world experience of flying one of these EPIC Raisbeck aircraft.
