Fuel, Hydraulic, Brake, Pneumatic. Built, Tested, Flying.
Manufacturing Insights Fuel, Hydraulic, Brake, Pneumatic. Built, Tested, Flying. July 19, 2026 Built Before First Flight. Still Holding at Altitude. An aircraft runs on more than its engine. Fuel has to get to the engine. Hydraulics move the landing gear. Brakes need lines that hold under pressure every time. The pitot-static system feeds the instruments […]
Your Certifications Got You in the Room. Here’s Why You’re Still Not Getting the Work.
Consulting Insights Your Certifications Got You in the Room. Here’s Why You’re Still Not Getting the Work. July 12, 2026 Most shops don’t lose government work because they can’t do it. They lose it because nobody told them what it actually takes to bid on it. There is federal work available to machine shops right […]
Most Machine Shops Can Hold a Tolerance. Not Many Can Wire an Aircraft.
Manufacturing Insights Most Machine Shops Can Hold a Tolerance. Not Many Can Wire an Aircraft. July 5, 2026 The First Time Someone Put on the Headset, It Worked. Every aircraft has a nervous system. Wires running from the cockpit to the engine, the landing gear, the fuel system, every sensor and instrument on board, carrying […]
A Contracting Officer Isn’t Going to Call You. Here’s How to Change That.
Consulting Insights A Contracting Officer Isn’t Going to Call You. Here’s How to Change That. June 28, 2026 The federal market has a process. Most small manufacturers don’t know it exists until after they’ve already lost. Most small manufacturers approaching the federal market for the first time make the same assumption: find a solicitation, submit […]
44 Feet, Vertical, One Job: Hold the Wing
Manufacturing Insights 44 Feet, Vertical, One Job: Hold the Wing June 21, 2026 Building the Jig That Held a Wing Together An aircraft that had been grounded for over a decade flew again. I built the jig that helped get its wing back together. That program, and the years of work that got it there, […]
The Government Is Buying What You Make. They Just Can’t Find You.
Consulting Insights The Government Is Buying What You Make. They Just Can’t Find You. June 21, 2026 Being good at the work isn’t enough. In the federal market, invisible and unqualified look exactly the same. There are manufacturers right now making exactly what the federal government needs. Parts, assemblies, components — the kind of work […]