Aerospace company celebrates milestone
A Cessna Citation jet at a Dec. 20 ceremony recognizing Tamarack Aerospace's 200th winglet installation.
Photo by NED NEWTON
SANDPOINT — Tamarack Aerospace, a Sandpoint-based manufacturer of airplane parts, recognized its 200th installation in a Dec. 20 ceremony.
The company specializes in creating aftermarket winglets for Cessna's Citation line of business jets; since Friday, about 10% of all Citations ever manufactured have been equipped with Tamarack’s modification.
“We’ll get to 30-40% of the fleet — that’s our goal,” founder and CEO Nick Guida said before the ceremony. “The idea is that they'll be putting these on the aircraft as soon as they come out of the factory.”
Tamarack President Jacob Klinginsmith said the 3.5-foot winglets increase planes’ wing surface, which improves fuel efficiency, range and weight capacity.
The company launched in 2010 but had to develop its product and receive a federal certification before it could enter the market. Tamarack’s first pair of winglets were installed in 2015, and its 100th in 2020.
Because of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, “getting from 100 to 200 was harder than getting from zero to 100,” Klinginsmith said.
Going forward, he expects the path to become easier. According to Klinginsmith, every installation increases the product’s visibility and may encourage other owners of the jet model to consider buying the upgrade.
“People are starting to see the product out in the wild,” Klinginsmith said. “That's an important part of it.”