Avionics News July 2015 - 62

SUN AVIATION
Continued from page 61

as a co-pilot in a twin Beechcraft. Later, he flew a
DC-3 for the team and eventually a Convair 440.
The Dodgers are known as the first major league
baseball team to own their own airplane.
As Bud Holman was building his business by
servicing Eastern Air Transport and Eastern Airlines, William T. Piper was establishing his business making Piper Cubs, which he introduced in
Combining avionics shops creates lots of boxes and temporary clutter.
1937. The Cubs were built in an abandoned
silk mill in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.
In 1955, Bud Holman played a role in
to compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.
bringing Piper to Vero Beach. Piper's facility in Lock Haven
Vero Beach Avionics did not advertise. Instead, the company
could not support larger manufacturing requirements. Initially,
relied on word of mouth to promote its name. "Our attention
Piper used Vero Beach as a design center, where it developed
to detail and reliability of product carried our name throughout
the PA-25 Pawnee. By the mid-1960s, Piper was building
the industry," Peavley said. "All of these factors helped us to
7,000 Cherokees a year at Vero Beach.
weather the downturn in the industry and maintain a profitable
In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused terrible flooding in
business despite the challenges."
Pennsylvania. The airport in Lock Haven is adjacent to the
Peavley not only serves on the AEA board, but he also has
Susquehanna River, which rose and nearly destroyed the facserved on the AEA Government and Industry Affairs Committee
tory. Approximately 100 airplanes were destroyed, along with
(Rice currently serves on this committee). While Peavley was
the tooling required to build Aztecs, Navahos and Comanches.
with Vero Beach Avionics, his committee service helped him
In addition, the prototype PA-31T Cheyenne was destroyed.
stay on top of regulatory issues that drove how his company
Piper ended production of the Comanche and opened a
performed the modifications desired by customers. The Vero
manufacturing division in Lakeland, Florida. Today, Piper is
Beach Avionics philosophy was to provide a product that met
headquartered in Vero Beach.
all regulatory requirements, was aesthetically pleasing to the
In 1995, Sun Aviation expanded into the avionics field. Nine
customer, and above all else, performed as it was designed. "We
years later, Sun gained some local competition. Things were gohave a large repeat customer base and have aircraft operating all
ing well in Vero Beach, and Peavley and Rice started an avionics
around the world," Peavley noted.
shop specializing in the Piper line, especially the PA-46 series.
According to Lindsay LaVine who writes for Entrepreneur,
Peavley and Rice offered custom avionics modifications. With
companies encouraging community involvement stand apart
the advent of glass cockpits, Vero Beach Avionics began offering
from their competitors. She quoted a May 2013 study by Cone
new instrument panels, cut specifically to the new configuration,
Communications and Echo Research that stated, "82 percent of
powder coated and silk screened. It continuously strove to stay
U.S. consumers consider corporate social responsibility when
on top of new products, which allowed Vero Beach Avionics to
deciding which products to buy and where to shop."
offer the latest and greatest to its customers at a fair price while
Clearly, for Sun Aviation, community involvement is workmaintaining the best quality.
ing. Bud Holman's efforts to bring airlines, baseball teams and
Peavley also is one to get involved in the community, in this
aircraft manufacturers to Vero Beach helped both the commucase, the general aviation community. The Vero Beach Avionnity and his own company. "Our relationship with Piper helped a
ics PA-46 customer base was boosted by the fact Peavley is the
lot," Bump Holman said.
avionics adviser for the Malibu Mirage Owners and Pilots AsPeavley's involvement in the general aviation community
sociation, and he knew many of the owners. In 1991, a coalition
boosted his business, as well. No doubt, this shared philosophy
of several PA-46 owners created a group known as the Malibu
helped bring these two companies together. "We've diversified
Coalition. The coalition was spearheaded by an executive comthe services we provided and changed over the years with aviamittee and represented the interests of all PA-46 pilots and owntion," Bump Holman said.
ers before the Federal Aviation Administration and the National
Sun Aviation has always strived to remain up to date, and purTransportation Safety Board. This ad hoc group played a role
chasing Vero Beach Avionics helped them continue that spirit. q
in the creation of the special certification review of the PA-46
airframe, which allowed the airplane and the autopilot to return
To learn more about Sun Aviation, visit sunaviation.com.
62

AVIONICS NEWS

JULY

2015

http://www.sunaviation.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2015