The three-part story of Mike McRobert's tip-to-tail refurb of his legacy Cessna 182, starting with an Air Plains 300hp engine upgrade. Reposted with permission from Cessna Flyer.

Wellington, KS. (Dec. 19, 2017) – Air Plains Services announced solid sales across its product line in 2017, its 40th anniversary year, anchored on sales of more than 50 XP Extreme Performance Cessna engine upgrade kits across the U.S. and to 10 other countries around the world. “We are very happy with our overall sales and with the variety of products installed here or shipped worldwide,” said Mike Kelley, founder and owner of Air Plains Services. “Most of all, we’re thrilled with the high level of satisfaction expressed to us by our customers who have built the business with their loyalty over 40 years.” The foundation of the company’s success built over 40 years is its industry leadership in offering Cessna 172, 180 and 182 owners a turn-key solution for higher horsepower engines, opening the door to more power, better climb performance and speed, and greater agility and range. Specifically, Air Plains offers 180 horsepower engine upgrade solutions for the Cessna 172 based on the Lycoming O-360, and 300 horsepower engine solutions based on either the Continental IO-520 or IO-550 for the Cessna 180 and 182. Air Plains installed or shipped more than 50 XP Extreme Performance engine upgrade kits in 2017 for Cessna 182s and 172s to 17 different U.S. states and 10 other countries in the Americas, Europe, Scandinavia and the Pacific Rim. Air Plains is also an FAA Certified Repair Station, a Certified Cessna Service Center, owns more than 20 Supplemental Type Certificates including five for engine upgrades, and its machine shop produces more than 500 PMA part numbers for a variety of aircraft. Some of the more popular parts and part kits at Air Plains sold this past year included 40 baffle kits for 172XP/180HP customers, and more than 50 airboxes for Cessna 172, 180 and 182 customers as well as 172XP owners. “Our airbox assemblies are really gaining in popularity,” Kelley said. “Because of where they are on the engine assembly, airboxes are in a position to develop cracks. We make our own FAA-certified airboxes so we control the quality, and our price is a fraction of buying it from the OEM.” In addition to the company’s 40th birthday celebration this year, a well-known member of the Air Plains family also marked a birthday. Lady, a rescue dog who is very familiar to customers visiting the Wellington facility, celebrated her 12th birthday as well. Air Plains Services was founded in 1977 by Kelley and has since grown to become an industry leader in engine and airframe modifications. In addition to delivering more than 3,000 engine upgrades to owners around the world, Air Plains continues to support some of the biggest names in aviation with advice and expertise in developing new products and technologies, particularly in aircraft engine technology. Air Plains also performs a wide array of scheduled maintenance and inspection activities, custom airframe and interior work and specializing in custom avionics panels, avionics upgrades including ADS-B, airframe repair, and complete tech support. “The real foundation of our success this past year is the same as in the past 40 years and that is the staff we have here at Air Plains,” Kelley said. “Our attention to detail and our devotion to making the customer happy is what we hear most as the reason people come back time after time to Air Plains.”

Wellington, KS. (Nov. 15, 2017) – Air Plains Services, a world leader in extreme performance upgrades for a variety of general aviation aircraft models, marked a major milestone in September with its 2,500th 180 HP engine upgrade for Cessna 172 piston aircraft. The milestone 172XP Extreme Performance engine upgrade was installed on N733EA, a 1977 Cessna 172N. “The rate of climb with the new O360 engine is fantastic and the customer service at Air Plains was really great,” said Brandon Johnson, who spends his work hours flying international hops in a G550 for a Fortune 100 company, and is based in St. Paul, MN. “The Air Plains solution was the most reliable for us and gives us the biggest bang for the buck.” Johnson managed much of the upgrade process for the 172N, owned by his parents, Scott and Patty Johnson. Scott is the police chief in Grand Rapids, MN. Brandon logged many of his 6,000 flight hours on the aircraft (about 15 hours already on the new engine) and is set to take ownership down the road. “TBO was looming so I started running the numbers on our options – overhaul the original O-320-H2AD or get another new or overhauled 160 horse power engine, or go for the 180 horse power,” Johnson continued. “I did a lot of research through the many forums out there and talked to a lot of owners and A&Ps. Dad wanted a new engine and the Air Plains 180 horse power solution was the most comprehensive. When I talked to them on the phone, I was sold.” Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Air Plains’ most well-known line of business comes from its range of Extreme Performance (XP) kits designed for a large part of the world’s population of Cessna 172s, 180s and 182s, including the 182RG. The company not only performs installations at its Wellington facility, but ships complete, ready-to-install kits around the world, supported through a global distribution network and round-the-clock customer support. “Their customer service is awesome,” Johnson said. “They worked with me on scheduling, and then kept me in the loop through every step of the process. Their customer service is really on par with Gulfstream.” Specifically, Air Plains offers 180 horsepower engine upgrade solutions for the Cessna 172 based on the Lycoming O-360, and 300 horsepower engine solutions based on either the Continental IO-520 or IO-550 for the Cessna 180 and 182. The resulting 172XP, 180XP and 182XP aircraft all share increased cruise speed, range, rate of climb and gross weight, as well as lower lifecycle maintenance costs. Air Plains is an FAA Certified Repair Station, a Certified Cessna Service Center, owns 20 Supplemental Type Certificates including five for engine upgrades, and its machine shop can produce any of more than 500 PMA part numbers for a variety of aircraft. Air Plains also performs a wide array of scheduled maintenance and inspection activities, custom airframe and interior work and specializing in custom avionics panels, avionics upgrades including ADS-B, airframe repair, and complete tech support.

Wellington, KS. (Sept. 15, 2017) -Air Plains Services, a world leader in extreme performance upgrades for a variety of general aviation aircraft models, today announced it recently sold its 500th 300 horsepower 182XP engine upgrade, this one for a Cessna 182 owner in Kansas City. “This was special for us, not only as the 500th 300 horsepower upgrade, but because it ended up sparking a tip-to-tail aircraft refurbishment by the owner and was our most complete aircraft project in our more than 40-year history,” said Mike Kelley, founder and owner of Air Plains Services. “While a lot of our upgrade engines are shipped as complete kits for installation to other parts of the world, this one was installed at our shop in Kansas so there is an added measure of pride for our team.” In addition to the Air Plains 182XP 300 hp kits for Cessna 180 and 182 model aircraft, the company also sells and installs 180 hp engine upgrades kits, the 172XP, for Cessna 172 models, with more than 2,500 of those sold around the world – more than 3,000 total XP kits. The owner, Mike McRobert, was so pleased with his upgrade, he renumbered his airplane to N182AP for Air Plains. McRobert was prompted to tell the story of his massive refurb project in a current three-part series in Cessna Flyer magazine, the official publication of the Cessna Flyers Association (Part 1 appeared in the May issue, with the final two in June and July). “Every time I looked to add something, I would ask “how much” and Air Plains would always give me a good estimate, and a quick update if anything changed, which rarely did,” McRobert writes in his article. “Air Plains cost estimates were solid and allowed me to make good decisions. Air Plains was always fair, and I could not be happier.” The Air Plains 182XP engine upgrade for this project consisted a completely new firewall-forward assembly centered on a new Continental IO-550 engine with a three-blade Hartzell Scimitar prop. The Air Plains XP upgrades can be installed by Air Plains in Kansas or shipped as a complete kit anywhere in the world. “Air Plains XP kits are shipped complete every part, screw, bolt and assembly your mechanic needs for a smooth installation,” Kelley said. “We also offer complete tech support whenever a customer calls – something they tell us is the best in the business. “It is certainly one reason we do so much repeat business,” Kelley said. Air Plains also performs a wide array of scheduled maintenance and inspection activities, custom airframe and interior work and specializing in custom avionics panels, engine analyzer installations, ADS-B solutions, airframe repair, and complete tech support. Air Plains offers more than 500 PMA spare parts including many hard-to-find part numbers at affordable prices. Another Air Plains product is the INPULSE ADI system that enables the operator to use 91-octane unleaded automotive fuel (MOGAS) in some high compression engines. For more information about Hartzell propeller options or any of Air Plains other products or services, call 1-800-752-8481 or +1-620-326-8904, visit www.airplains.com. For online shopping, visit the new Air Plains web store at https://shopairplains.com.

Air Plains provides a new set of powder coated baffles with seals attached. The Cessna 172 baffle kit comes complete with installation hardware. This is available for Cessna 172 aircraft equipped with Air Plains 180HP engine upgrade, STC SA4428SW. If you have an Air Plains 172-180HP that was upgraded prior to 2015 your baffles were most likely to have been modified per the STC, repaired and reused on the new O-360 engine installation. If you are looking to relocate the oil cooler from the firewall to the rear baffle: this new set incorporates that benefit. The new installation also does not require 'baffle springs'. Also included in the kit adjustable airbox bracket, part number APS0552120-2.