Maciel Ruddervator Prizes

ABS Air Safety Foundation Awards Half-Million Dollar Maciel Ruddervator Prize

The American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation (www.bonanza.org) announces award of the half million dollar ASF Manuel Maciel Ruddervator Prize to SRS Aviation LLC (www.srsaviation.com) of Burnsville, Minnesota. ASF traveled to SRS’ manufacturing facility in late April and confirmed SRS meets all requirements as laid out by ASF when establishing the award in 2021. This Prize was made possible by the Manuel Maciel Aviation Safety Fund grant awarded to ASF in 2008.

V-tail Bonanzas faced an existential threat. Replacement skins for magnesium ruddervators were no longer available at any price. Ruddervators are the moveable control surfaces on the v-tail that move in opposition for yaw, or rudder control, and together for pitch, or elevator control. Even minor corrosion or damage to a ruddervator would render the airplane unairworthy with no means of returning it to flying status. Of the 10,402 V-tails built between 1947 and 1982, over 5000 are still flying in the U.S. with more around the world, all potentially affected by this issue. Public confidence in V-tails plummeted, and with it, confidence in the entire Beechcraft^® Bonanza/Baron product line.

The ABS Air Safety Foundation established the Manuel Maciel Ruddervator Prize to encourage the industry to create an FAA-approved repair or replacement for damaged ruddervators. The $500,000 prize was designed to cover part of the costs incurred by the first company to get a product approved and build at least 100 ready-to-install kits to show a commitment to supporting the V-tail fleet long-term. The Prize amount increased to a total of $528,110 with individual donations from ABS members to help encourage a solution. ASF received seven inquires from individuals or firms serious about pursing the Prize, with at least one in addition to SRS Aviation actively working for FAA approval of an alternative.

Like factory-original equipment, the replacement skins built by SRS are magnesium. SRS has extensive experience with aluminum replacement skins for conventional-tail Beechcraft^® but found the unique balance requirements of the V-tail could not be met with aluminum. SRS spent over three years researching magnesium production techniques and developing expertise in manufacturing and working with magnesium components. SRS now has FAA PMA approval to do everything from skin replacement through total repair and rebuild of ruddervators which has restored full confidence in the value and longevity of all models of V-tail Bonanza. Parts prices are lower than when they were last available in 2021, meeting a Prize requirement.

"The ASF Board of Directors is proud to award this prize to SRS,” said Susan Delgado, ABS Board President. “This achievement was made possible because of the grant from the Maciel family and our ABS member donors. The prize inspired innovation and research within the aviation community, which is critical to address availability of parts for aging airplanes. These new SRS ruddervators will help preserve our Beechcraft fleet for generations to come."

“In the beginning we thought this was going to be easy to do which could not have been further from the truth,” said Dave Laurin, President and owner of SRS Aviation. “First we had a nine-month struggle to PMA this part. Then came the cost of material and manufacture, which included machinery and special processes only related to magnesium. Lastly, there was nobody out there that had special knowledge of how to make formed magnesium parts and specifically how to make them perfectly. With the Manuel Maciel award to offset our development, now we have a really good product and we are confident we can support the fleet for many more years.” When asked how SRS Aviation will use the $528,110 ASF Maciel Prize Laurin said, “We’ll use the Maciel Prize money to order more magnesium to build more ruddervators.”

ABS Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Thomas P. Turner adds, “This Prize demonstrates the commitment of the American Bonanza Society and the ABS Air Safety Foundation to its mission to protect lives and preserve the Beechcraft^® fleet. Thank you to the late Manuel Maciel and the executors of the Maciel estate for their vision and generosity in establishing aviation safety grants and awarding one such grant to ASF. I also thank the ABS members who added their personal contributions to the Maciel Prize, and the ASF Board Directors who approved this investment in the future of Beech airplanes.”

We do not know if or when another issue will emerge that threatens to ground a segment of the ABS community. We encourage ABS members and others to visit www.bonanza.org/donate and make tax-deductible donations to the 501(c)(3) ABS Air Safety Foundation to refill the Maciel fund for future continuing airworthiness efforts and to support all ASF’s work to protect lives and preserve the Beechcraft^® fleet. Congratulations, and thank you, to Dave Laurin and SRS Aviation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND INTERVIEWS contact

Thomas P. Turner
Executive Director, ABS Air Safety Foundation
tom@bonanza.org
316-945-1700
www.bonanza.org

These items may be downloaded from this Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IpL8YMx7ImbIcfXVTo796cbQtH2Xfx9z

ABS logo
ABS Air Safety Foundation logo
Maciel Prize announcement video
V-tail photo
Check presentation at SRS Aviation. Caption: Dave Lauren of SRS Aviation (center) accepts the ASF Maciel Ruddervator Prize, presented by ASF Executive Director Thomas Turner (left) and ABS Board member Bill Van Lent (right)
Dave Laurin. Caption: Dave Laurin and over 100 completed ruddervator skins, meeting the Prize requirement.
Maciel Prize Announcement and Prize Rules
Maciel Prize FAQs
Maciel Press Release