Vance Street Capital, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, has rebranded its collective group of general aviation and business aviation brands to Victor Sierra Aviation Holdings (VS Aviation), and has acquired Aviation Products Systems (APS).

Vance Street originally formed the entity now known as VS Aviation in October 2021 when it partnered with the founder of McFarlane Aviation, a diversified manufacturing company located in Kansas that specialises in designing and manufacturing a broad array of proprietary, new and aftermarket replacement components for the general aviation sector. In 2022, Vance Street also partnered with the founders of Tempest Aero Group (TAG), adding another key pillar to the VS Aviation family of brands. Headquartered in North Carolina, TAG is a designer and manufacturer of proprietary new and replacement components, with specialties such as high-wear ignition, filtration, fuel and pneumatic components.

To complement McFarlane and TAG, VS Aviation has since made three additional tuck-in acquisitions, including Airforms, a founder-owned designer of PMA parts focused on engine baffles; Great Planes Fuel Metering, a founder-owned FAA-certified repair station focused on providing MRO services on Continental fuel injection systems; and PMA Products, a founder-owned supplier of PMA parts predominantly focused on bearings, bushings and fuel nozzles.

Illinois-based APS is a founder-owned supplier of proprietary replacement wheel and brake components and custom hose kits for general aviation aircraft. The business designs and manufactures single-disc and multi-disc brakes for various general aviation aircraft that undergo significant reliability testing and that are suitable in rugged environments.

Scott Still, CEO of VS Aviation, says: “The addition of APS creates another key pillar in our portfolio of brands by expanding our proprietary PMA offering into the wheel and brakes segment for general and business aviation aircraft, another avenue to help our customers keep flying.”

“At APS, we strive to provide our customers with quality components at a fair price that every aircraft requires and replaces on a regular basis,” adds Pat McNamara, president of APS. “Partnering with the VS Aviation team will broaden our reach and enable us to better support our customers.”

Nic Janneck, partner at Vance Street Capital, concludes: “The collective group of VS Aviation brands are known for engineering, manufacturing and distributing exceptional aftermarket products. We believe the formation of VS Aviation enables the collective group of brands to share key resources, elevate the core competencies of the brands we've partnered with and continue to expand through further acquisitions. We are excited to expand our portfolio of products to better service our customers.”