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-   -   TS Flightlines vs. Aircraft Specialty (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=165918)

kbalch 11-11-2018 06:34 AM

TS Flightlines vs. Aircraft Specialty
 
As I begin to work on my fuselage kit, I'm naturally thinking ahead to the various bits and pieces that I'll need to order over the next several months. Brake lines, fuel lines, etc.

Are there any substantive differences between the apparently very similar products of TS Flightlines and Aircraft Specialty? Confirmation bias aside, of course... :)

azflyer21 11-11-2018 06:58 AM

Not sure if there is a connection between the two companies. I did purchase the Cabin Fuel lines from Aircraft Specialty and they are a perfect fit, saves numerous hours bending the aluminum for a perfect fit.

Carl Froehlich 11-11-2018 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbalch (Post 1301722)
As I begin to work on my fuselage kit, I'm naturally thinking ahead to the various bits and pieces that I'll need to order over the next several months. Brake lines, fuel lines, etc.

Are there any substantive differences between the apparently very similar products of TS Flightlines and Aircraft Specialty? Confirmation bias aside, of course... :)

Don?t overlook the option to just make up your own fuel and oil lines. Van?s sells all the parts other than the firesleeve clamps. Get those at ACS and a CV joint tool from Amazon or your local auto parts store:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...?clickkey=4118
https://www.amazon.com/AUTOLOVER-Ban...ing+tool&psc=1

Watch the various You Tube videos to see how. Rolling your own lines is one of the easier things in an RV build.

Carl

TS Flightlines 11-11-2018 09:36 AM

OK OK ----probably the worst kept secret on VAF is that TS Flightines and Aircraft Specialty work together on MANY projects, kits, thoughts, ideas, etc. WE share quite a bit. Steve is an awesome partner to have, and has brought seemingly unending energy to expansion and moving things forward. WE have merged several operations, while still maintaining some individuality.

WE havent officially announced anything, but we've been doing this for several years. WHY? Because we figured it was better to work together for the common good of our clients, than to compete against each other. We each bring certain qualities to the table which makes this work well. WE have--we think--the same customer service qualities.

AS for kits, yes we have developed the kits together along with many beta testers.

Tom

kbalch 11-11-2018 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl Froehlich (Post 1301755)
Don?t overlook the option to just make up your own fuel and oil lines. ...

Watch the various You Tube videos to see how. Rolling your own lines is one of the easier things in an RV build.

Thanks, I'm definitely not overlooking this option. I've done it before and have all the necessary tools and knowhow. It's just a matter of efficiency with my time at this point.

Canadian_JOY 11-11-2018 09:54 AM

Having purchased hoses from Steve, and having had several (unsolicited) offers of help from Tom, and MUCH good advice from both, it is clear to me their cooperation at a business level comes from them both having the same commitment to serving the aviation community. Both are top notch guys who will amaze you with their knowledge and their desire to obtain the very best solution for your aircraft.

Buy from either or both with 100% confidence, and be prepared to be amazed by a purchasing experience that is completely beyond expectation.

kbalch 11-11-2018 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TS Flightlines (Post 1301765)
OK OK ----probably the worst kept secret on VAF is that TS Flightines and Aircraft Specialty work together on MANY projects, kits, thoughts, ideas, etc. WE share quite a bit. Steve is an awesome partner to have, and has brought seemingly unending energy to expansion and moving things forward. WE have merged several operations, while still maintaining some individuality.

WE havent officially announced anything, but we've been doing this for several years. WHY? Because we figured it was better to work together for the common good of our clients, than to compete against each other. We each bring certain qualities to the table which makes this work well. WE have--we think--the same customer service qualities.

AS for kits, yes we have developed the kits together along with many beta testers.

Tom

Thanks, Tom, for so forthrightly addressing this situation; much appreciated! I figured that some version of this might be the case, but didn't want to simply make the assumption.

Aircraft Specialty 11-11-2018 10:07 AM

As Tom mentioned, it is probably the WORST kept secret on VAF that we are working together to jointly design and build products for the experimental aircraft community.

While both TS Flightlines and Aircraft Specialty are "Technically" (for now) individual entities, you can talk to either Tom or I and we will be happy to take care of you. We have become not only business partners, but great friends throughout the years, and we both truly enjoy what we are doing.

Tom has a prototype shop in SC, and I have a prototype shop in WI. Jointly, we have a production shop in WI that handles that majority of hose fabrication for us as we work to design new parts and packages together.

Going forward, you may see more and more of our items being marketed as "ASFLIGHTLINES". This is a combination of Aircraft Specialty/TS Flightlines.

This is not to be confused with ACS (Aircraft Spruce) Aircraft Spruce is a valued partner of Tom and I. We build their conductive Teflon hose assemblies for the non certified experimental aircraft market as well as numerous other products.


Here is a link to some of our joint fabrication capabilities

http://aircraftspecialty.com/howwemake.html

Though it is on the Aircraft Specialty website, it also pertains to everything that TS Flightlines is doing. We are also currently working toward a centralized ordering website, but that is probably 2 years away.

Have a great weekend and thank you to the great Vans/ EAB community.

Steve

P.S. Thanks for the kind words about the customer service we provide. Tom and I have the same mindset and will always do our best to answer your questions, and to try to help you find the best solutions for your projects.

lndwarrior 11-11-2018 10:46 AM

Working with your competitors
 
A little off topic but I am a partner in an engineering firm. Over the last year we have started sharing engineering info., and referrals, with our main competitor in our city.

NO one does this is our industry.

I was very skeptical when a junior partner brought the idea to me. We had a head start on some new business and he wanted to share it - with no guarantee of any payback.

Turns out he was right and I was wrong. They had expertise in areas we wanted to move into and they started sharing that knowledge with us.

As crazy as it sounds sharing information with our biggest competitor has worked out very well for both of us.

Like TS and AS we both had certain strengths that separated us and working together helped out our clients and theirs.

Piper J3 11-11-2018 12:49 PM

^^^^^^ Good People ^^^^^^


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