Gallery: MRO Ads From 1996 Reveal History and Future

AAR focused on aircraft, cargo systems and engines in 1996. Today the business centers around parts, repair and software. The ad shows that it hadn’t moved to its Wood Dale, Illinois headquarters yet.

Aero Corp. focused on Boeing and McDonnell Douglas narrowbodies as well as the DC-10 and C-130s in 1996. A big change was coming for the company two years later, when Aviation Sales purchased Aero Corp. from parent Whitehall for $112 million in July 1998.

Aircraft Technical Publishers streamlined technical information management. It was a pioneer in the transition from paper-based technical manuals to digital formats. In 1996, you could get updated CD-ROMs every two weeks.

Atitech, part of Italian airline group Alitalia, like other European airline maintenance operations had extra MRO capacity and was selling its technical capabilities to grow revenues.

This humble ad doesn’t do the company justice, which was on a buying spree from August 1996 through 1998. The Miami-based company purchased at least eight aviation companies in that period.

In September 1998, it purchased Triad International Maintenance Co. (Timco), based in Greensboro, N.C., $70 million. It combined Aero Corp., which it had just purchased in July, with Timco.

Bedek Aviation Group, part of IAI, was known for its cargo conversions, structural modifications and heavy checks 30 years ago.

In 1996, Tramco in Everett, Washington, was one of the biggest airframe maintenance facilities in the U.S. It was owned by BFGoodrich Aerospace, which also manufactured and repaired landing gear, wheels, brakes and components.

Evergreen Air Center opened its maintenance facility in Marana, Arizona, in 1982. In 2011, Evergreen International Aviation sold the MRO to Relativity Capital, which was renamed it Marana Aerospace Solutions.

In 1996, GE was expanding its aftermarket and had invested $150 million over the previous five years to decrease engine maintenance turnaround times. It positioned 350 technical field reps around the world and operated eight locations. If you had any questions, you could call the number on the ad.

Heroux, founded in 1942 in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, was a prominent provider of  landing gear in 1996. It acquired Devtek Corp. in 2000, becoming Heroux-Devtek.

HRD opened in 1985 to repair and overhaul aircraft fire extinguishers. It steadily grew and in 1993 added aircraft oxygen system repair and overhaul. In 1996 it moved into a new 25,000-sq.-ft. facility in Valencia, California.

IHS sold its Av-Data 2000 electronic aviation database on CD-ROM, making it a handy resource for compliance data. In case you’re wondering what IHS is up to today, S&P Global purchased it in February 2022.

Notice the new technology options that ILS was unveiling for online parts sales. ILS was a dominant company in the aviation marketplace in 1996. Notice the free “demonstration diskette.”

This part of Parker offered fuel, hydraulic and pneumatic components. Later Parker Hannifin would restructure the company to simplify it, which led to the retirement of the Bertea name.

Pemco in 1996 offered an array of maintenance services for both commercial and military aircraft. In later years, the commercial and military divisions would split and a few changes of ownership occurred. Today Pemco conversions is part of ATSG.

Pratt & Whitney was part of United Technologies in 1996 and its PW4000, JT8D and JT9D were popular commercial engines. On May 8, 1996, GE and Pratt & Whitney signed an agreement to develop a new engine for the Boeing 747 and officially formed Engine Alliance in August of that year. (The GP7200 was the resulting engine, which the FAA certified in January 2006).

Swissair Technical Services was one of the airline maintenance divisions that was seeking third-party customers for its services. It ran a series of ads focused on being a good partner, including one featuring trapeze artists mid-air. Swissair Technical Services eventually would become SR Technics.

Tank Tigers was the big name in fuel tank cleaning and repair in 1996. Its catchy tigers became synonymous with avoiding microbial growth in tanks.

Fuel tanks worldwide started getting more scrutiny after the tragic TWA Flight 800 accident on July 17, 1996. That accident led to improvements for aging aircraft and fuel tank safety (including keeps wires away from flammable vapors).