Hartzell Engine Technologies (HET) has purchased the assets of South Wind aircraft cabin heaters.
“Thousands of owners are affected by the recent issuance of FAA AD 2017-06-03, which mandates that any aircraft equipped with a South Wind heater perform a series of inspections within the next 10 hours of heater operating time or next scheduled maintenance activity, whichever occurs first,” notes Mike Disbrow, president.
“Meggitt/South Wind has not produced a complete cabin heater since then owner Stewart-Warner moved the business to Troy, Indiana, in 1989. As a result, many of the components, including the original combustion tubes, are no longer available,” he said. “HET’s acquisition of the existing inventory, intellectual property, tooling and rights to produce the South Wind line of heaters will enable us to put needed parts back in production and support the South Wind heaters, which will ultimately benefit these owners.”
Disbrow explained that while all new South Wind heater production will be integrated with the company’s current Janitrol Aero line of cabin heaters, HET will need FAA TSO approval before the new components can be put into production.
It is interesting and good that Hartzell will be producing parts for the South Wind heaters. Being that they now produce the Janitrol brand heaters,including a direct replacement for the Stewart-Warner South Wind heaters, they could simply orphan the South Wind operators and force the purchase of a new Janitrol.