Honeywell acquires Springdale autopilot maker TruTrak Flight Systems
by July 28, 2019 2:27 pm 1,968 views
TruTrak Flight Systems, a Springdale company that makes and sells autopilot systems a variety of aircraft, has been acquired by Arizona-based Honeywell Aerospace.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will become part of Honeywell’s BendixKing business division. BendixKing is a standalone brand that specializes in products specifically for general aviation aircraft, which include small planes used to obtain a pilot license, owned by flight schools or private owners.
As part of the transition, the current CEO and owner of Tru-Trak, Andrew Barker, will join BendixKing’s executive team to continue to drive the product line forward.
Barker is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2019 Forty Under 40 class.
“Honeywell and BendixKing’s capabilities in the aerospace industry will accelerate the continued development of the products TruTrak has built from the ground up,” Barker said in a statement. “Their vision for autopilots aligns with ours, and personally I am very excited to join the BendixKing team and use the extensive resources now available to us to continue forging the future of autopilots.”
Barker has been with TruTrak since 1999 when it was co-founded by Jim Younkin. He retired in 2013 when Barker was named president and CEO in October 2013. Younkin died this past May. He was 90.
TruTrak, the first general aviation digital autopilot company, has sold approximately 15,000 autopilots and continues to introduce new products and features to improve autopilot technology, improve safety features and add new capabilities.
TruTrak’s autopilot systems can fly a wide range of aircraft and fly well in turbulence. They are also easy to install, maintain and use.
“TruTrak is a natural fit with BendixKing, and this acquisition opens up an exciting new market to us,” said Carl Esposito, president, Electronic Systems at Honeywell Aerospace. “It provides great technology at affordable prices, which is central to BendixKing’s business. Furthermore, adding TruTrak to the BendixKing family will attract new talent, foster collaboration and help us identify new ways to bring value to our customers.”
To learn more about TruTrak, click here to read a company profile included this past fall in the Business Journal.