Dennis Kirkpatrick Joins Legacy Aviation Services to Lead Avionics Department
Dennis Kirkpatrick joins Legacy Aviation Services as avionics shop manager and supervisor. Based 20 miles north of Oklahoma City, OK, Legacy Aviation Services (KRCE) is a full service MRO/FBO providing single-source aviation services primarily to light jet and turboprop operators.
Beginning his career with avionics in 1968, Kirkpatrick has gained nearly five decades of avionics knowledge and experience. Working for his father’s company, Kirkpatrick Electronics, Inc. (KEI), and under contract to Downtown Airpark (DTA) in Oklahoma City, Kirkpatrick provided brand new avionics installations to factory green Rockwell Aero Commander aircraft (now Twin Commander), along with providing general avionics services to Downtown Airpark customers for nearly 40 years.
In was in the 1990s that Kirkpatrick met Raul (RJ) Gomez at Downtown Airpark, who was also a DTA employee. RJ eventually rose to become Downtown Airpark’s general manager until the company’s closing in 2005. Kirkpatrick then returned to Norman, OK, and resumed working his family’s avionics business while RJ Gomez restructured Downtown Airpark assets and restored it as Legacy Aviation Services, Inc. on June 6, 2005.
In a 2016 expansion plan of Legacy’s avionics shop, aimed at providing full OEM avionics support and service to their customers, RJ Gomez recruited Dennis Kirkpatrick, knowing Kirkpatrick had the technical experience, knowledge, and managerial expertise to fully develop Legacy’s avionics operation.
“Dennis Kirkpatrick is the most knowledgeable and experienced avionics technician and manager I know. Having him lead our shop’s growth and expansion is terrific, and I’m thrilled to work with him again as a Legacy team member,” says Gomez. “The next six to eight months will see some significant business relationships formed between Legacy and top-tier avionics OEMs, along with a fully integrated shop here at our Yukon facility.”
Kirkpatrick is just as enthusiastic about his new challenge at Legacy. “We have the facility prepared and equipment being installed. The next few months are going to be very busy, and I know we’re going to provide our customers a new level of service and expertise in repair, integration and installation for the industry’s most popular and advanced avionics technology.”