First Class Air has invested in and partnered with Vertical Aerospace, a Bristow, Oklahoma-based aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider. The acquisition expands First Class Air's technical capabilities and capacity while providing customers with additional resources for the repair and support of complex aircraft structures and components. Vertical Aerospace will continue operating from its 226,000-square-foot facility in Bristow under the leadership of Founder and General Manager, Tray Siegfried.
Vertical Aerospace provides MRO, engineering and fabricated part manufacturing services supporting commercial, cargo and military aircraft. Vertical Aerospace specializes in nacelles and thrust reversers, flight control surfaces, composite and metallic structural repair, cowlings, ducts, exhaust components, engineering and repair development, fabrication, NDT and specialized processing. Vertical Aerospace’s quality system is AS9100 Rev. D certified, and the company holds FAA and EASA repair station certifications.
“Vertical Aerospace is a great addition to First Class Air providing another highly experienced team and differentiated capabilities which complement the services we provide across our organization,” said Isac Roths, CEO of First Class Air. “Our focus has always been on finding better ways to solve problems for our customers and keep their aircraft operating. By bringing Vertical Aerospace’s structural repair, engineering and fabricated part manufacturing expertise together with our existing distribution, MRO, DER, PMA, teardown and exchange capabilities, we can provide customers with even more solutions through one integrated company.”
The acquisition also adds significant in-house repair process capabilities to First Class Air. Vertical Aerospace’s Bristow operation includes an autoclave and clean room, phosphoric acid anodize and cleaning capabilities, NDT, heat treat, welding, laser tracking, engineering and design systems, and other specialized equipment supporting advanced repair and manufacturing applications.
“Joining First Class Air creates an exciting opportunity for Vertical Aerospace, our employees and our customers,” said Tray Siegfried, Founder and General Manager of Vertical Aerospace. “We have built Vertical around technical expertise, creative problem solving and a commitment to making it easy for our customers to do business with us. Those principles align extremely well with First Class Air. We will continue serving our customers with the same team and commitment they know today, while gaining access to a much broader network of capabilities and resources for growth that will allow us to provide even more solutions in the future.”
“Vertical Aerospace is a highly complementary addition to First Class Air and another important step in its continued development,” said Charlie Miller of O2 Investment Partners. “Tray and his team have built an impressive business with strong technical capabilities, specialized repair processes and a customer-focused culture. We look forward to supporting Isac, Tray and the entire First Class Air team as they continue to expand its capabilities and solutions offered to customers across the aviation aftermarket.”
