New Owner Rebrands Airframes Alaska and Alaskan Bushwheels as McFarlane Alaska
Photo Credit: Airframes Alaska | Element Agency
The trusted legacies of Alaskan Bushwheels and Airframes Alaska are coming together under a new name. Aircraft parts from both product lines will now be produced and supported under McFarlane Alaska, a new brand of McFarlane Aviation, itself a business line of Kansas-based holding company Victor Sierra.
The Palmer-based maker of airplane landing gear and other parts for backcountry aviation had been rebranded in 2024 as Alaska Gear Company. However, as that company diversified its offerings of outdoor equipment, owner Sean McLaughlin sold Alaskan Bushwheels and Airframes Alaska to Victor Sierra, which was formed in 2021.
Reputation of Real-World Use
The launch of McFarlane Alaska does not include the acquisition of Alaska Gear Company, which remains separate.
“I’m incredibly proud of the company we’ve built and the products that Alaska pilots have trusted for years,” says McLaughlin. “McFarlane Alaska ensures the legacy of these great brands continues. Their commitment to quality and customer support makes them the right team to preserve what we’ve created and bring these products to even more pilots.”
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May 2026
Those products include Bushwheels, the tubeless tires for landing light aircraft on remote beaches or gravel bars. Factories in Palmer and Fairbanks also weld fuselages and other parts for Piper PA-18 Super Cubs, such as aluminum lift struts, wheel and brake kits, short takeoff flaps, and more.
“Alaska has one of the most demanding aviation environments anywhere in the world, and the pilots and mechanics operating there deserve parts built to that standard,” says Victor Sierra CEO Scott Still. “Alaskan Bushwheel and Airframes Alaska have earned their reputation over decades of real-world use in backcountry conditions. Our job is to honor that and make sure these products are around for the next generation of bush pilots. We want to thank Sean and his team for trusting us to carry these brands into the Victor Sierra family.”
Still adds that investing in local capability and scaling proven manufacturing expertise lets McFarlane Alaska preserve what has made these brands essential to backcountry flying while also expanding access and increasing product development.
McFarlane Alaska’s retail operation in Palmer will continue to serve as the community’s local hub, offering the full McFarlane Alaska product line alongside parts and solutions from the broader Victor Sierra family of aviation companies: APS, Av8, and Tempest Aero Group. McFarlane itself was founded more than fifty years ago by Dave McFarlane when he was fixing Cessnas for farm use in his shop.
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