Finding a good aircraft mechanic is like finding a good doctor — once you have one, you don't switch. But if you're new to the Twin Cities, recently bought an aircraft, or your current shop has a six-week wait for an annual, you need options.
Minnesota has a surprisingly deep bench of maintenance shops, from one-man A&P operations to FAA Part 145 repair stations handling corporate turbine work. Here's the complete picture.
Part 145 Repair Stations
These shops hold the FAA's highest maintenance certification, allowing them to perform major repairs and alterations. If you fly anything turbine-powered, you want a Part 145 shop.
Premier Jet Center — Flying Cloud Airport (FCM)
Premier Jet Center is an FAA Part 145 Repair Station (6EXR899B) and authorized Service Center for Pilatus, Cirrus, and Kodiak. Their technicians handle everything from piston aircraft to midsize cabin jets. If you own a Pilatus PC-12 or a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet, this is your shop in the Twin Cities.
Specialties: Pilatus, Cirrus, Kodiak, turboprop and jet maintenance Certifications: FAA Part 145 Repair Station Contact: (952) 697-3170
Elliott Aviation — Flying Cloud Airport (FCM)
Elliott Aviation has been in the business for decades, providing comprehensive MRO services for business aircraft. Their FCM location handles airframe maintenance, avionics installation, aircraft painting, and interior refurbishment. They're part of a larger network with facilities in Des Moines and Moline.
Specialties: Business jet maintenance, avionics, paint and interior Certifications: FAA Part 145 Repair Station Contact: (952) 944-1200
Inflight Aircraft Maintenance — Flying Cloud Airport (FCM)
Inflight runs an FAA repair station alongside their flight school at Flying Cloud. This is convenient if you train with Inflight and want your maintenance done by people who already know your airplane. They handle annuals, repairs, and general maintenance for piston aircraft.
Specialties: Piston aircraft maintenance, annuals, general repairs Contact: (952) 698-3000
Avionics Specialists
AV8 Modern Avionics — Flying Cloud Airport (FCM)
AV8 Modern Avionics has been at Flying Cloud since 1985 — over 40 years of avionics work. They're an authorized Cirrus Service Center and Garmin dealer, specializing in panel upgrades, retrofits, ADS-B installations, and pitot-static checks. Owner Kurt Schendel and his team have a reputation for doing it right the first time. They also handle A&P maintenance work.
Specialties: Garmin installations, Cirrus avionics, panel upgrades, ADS-B Certifications: Garmin Dealer, Cirrus Authorized Service Center Contact: (952) 941-2783
Duncan Aviation — St. Paul Downtown Airport (STP)
Duncan Aviation operates a satellite avionics shop at Holman Field, backed by their main MRO facilities in Battle Creek, Lincoln, and Provo. They focus on business aircraft avionics — flight management systems, satellite communications, and full panel upgrades. 24-hour on-call service and off-site support available for surrounding airports.
Specialties: Business aircraft avionics, FMS, satcom Contact: (651) 291-7700
General Maintenance & Annuals
Thunderbird Aviation — Flying Cloud (FCM) & Crystal (MIC)
Thunderbird's maintenance operation at Flying Cloud handles piston aircraft maintenance, annuals, and general repairs. The advantage of using Thunderbird is the full-service ecosystem — if you train, fuel, hangar, and maintain all in one place, they know your airplane inside and out.
Contact: (952) 941-1212
Valters Aviation — Airlake Airport (LVN)
Valters Aviation at Airlake serves south metro aircraft owners with annual inspections, general maintenance, and engine repair for piston aircraft. If you're based at Airlake or in the Lakeville area, Valters saves you the drive to Flying Cloud.
Contact: (952) 469-4414
Lake Elmo Aero — Lake Elmo Airport (21D)
Lake Elmo Aero isn't just a flight school — they also provide aircraft maintenance services. If you're based on the east side of the metro, they can handle annuals and general maintenance alongside their Cirrus Training Center operation.
The Specialist: Wipaire
Wipaire Inc. — Fleming Field (SGS)
Wipaire deserves its own category. Founded in 1961 at Fleming Field in South St. Paul, Wipaire is the world's leading manufacturer and installer of amphibious floats. They hold more Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for float installations than anyone else on the planet.
But Wipaire does much more than floats. They offer full aircraft maintenance, avionics installation, interior refurbishment, and aircraft painting. Their facility at Fleming Field is massive, and their technicians work on everything from Cessna 206s to de Havilland Beavers to Kodiak 100s.
If you own a floatplane — or want to put your airplane on floats — there is literally no better place in the world.
Specialties: Amphibious floats (global authority), full aircraft maintenance, avionics, paint, interiors Contact: (651) 451-1205
A&P Mechanic Training
US Aviation Academy — Anoka County-Blaine Airport (ANE)
Not a maintenance shop, but worth mentioning: if you want to become an A&P mechanic, US Aviation Academy at Blaine offers an FAA Part 147 accelerated program that gets you certified in as little as 8 months. They connect graduates with major airlines including Delta, American, and United. All tools provided.
Contact: (763) 277-8512
How to Choose a Maintenance Shop
What do you fly? If it's turbine-powered, stick with a Part 145 shop (Premier Jet Center or Elliott Aviation). If it's a piston single, any of the general maintenance shops will serve you well.
Where are you based? Use the shop closest to your hangar. FCM has the most options. East metro: Lake Elmo Aero. South metro: Valters Aviation at Airlake.
Need avionics work? AV8 Modern Avionics for piston/Cirrus. Duncan Aviation for business jets.
Own a floatplane? Wipaire. Period.
Getting an annual? Book early — spring is the busiest season as everyone prepares for summer flying. Most shops fill up by February for spring annuals. If you're reading this in January, call today.