Your Complete supporting detail for Advanced Aircraft Structures
Mace Aviation, LLC is an Arizona-based aerospace manufacturer specializing in composite and metallic aircraft structures, wiring harnesses, tooling, and structural analysis. It provides vertically integrated, turnkey services from initial design and analysis through fabrication, assembly, and prototyping. With direct program experience at MD Helicopters, L3Harris, Lockheed Skunk Works, Stratolaunch, NAVAIR, and Scaled Composites, Mace Aviation serves aerospace, defense, and automotive sectors. Custom products include the M5 experimental helicopter, lightweight Hellfire launchers, extended range weapons wings, and specialized sensor mounts for rotary and fixed-wing platforms.
Ryan MacePresident & Chief Engineer
Robert Mace, Jr.Vice President
Rapid development of conceptual layouts, detailed 3D assemblies, and engineering drawings from initial sketch to production-ready documentation.
Conceptual layouts and detailed 3D assembly design utilizing CATIA V5 and SolidWorks.
Creation of detailed manufacturing drawings and numerical control definition for machining.
Structural engineering support across all portions of the design process, ranging from hand calculations for initial layout to detailed structural validation.
Comprehensive structural and fluid dynamic analysis utilizing advanced industry-standard simulation software.
Detailed structural analysis and sizing from simple hand calculations to complete aircraft FEA using FEMAP and NASTRAN.
Aerodynamic simulation, flow visualization, drag prediction, and payload interference analysis using Hypermesh and advanced CFD tools.
In-house composite and metallic fabrication and assembly, operating out of specialized climate-controlled facilities.
Climate-controlled composite fabrication specializing in ply kitting, manual layup, curing, and structural assembly.
Precision manufacturing and assembly of aircraft-grade metallic structures and components.
Design and fabrication of composite and metallic tooling, from low-cost foam prototype tools to high-temperature production tooling.
Rapid prototyping of composite and metallic structures to quickly transition rough concepts or fully dimensioned models into functional components.
Reconstruction of complete engineering definitions for existing aerospace parts and assemblies lacking official documentation.
Precision spatial measurement using scales, micrometers, and laser interferometry to capture physical dimensions.
Importing extracted physical measurements into CATIA to generate clean, editable 3D CAD models.
Electrical and avionics systems integration, including custom panel layout, wiring harness fabrication, and installation.
Layout, prototyping, and fabrication of custom electrical wiring harnesses for aerospace applications.
3D design, custom fabrication, and integration of complete aircraft instrument panels.
Aerospace · Defense · Automotive · Aviation
Aviation
Experimental kit helicopter based on the MD500 series with an all-new carbon fiber fuselage designed and built by Mace Aviation, accepting stock MD500D/E/530F drivetrain and commercially available FAA-certified components.
Defense
Single-, two-, and four-station Hellfire launchers for 14-inch NATO racks, designed for fixed and rotary wing aircraft; two-station version less than half the weight of the Lockheed Martin M310.
Defense · Client: L3 Communications Wescam
Long-range targeting pod for L3 Communications Wescam MX-25D; designed and analyzed by Mace Aviation with US Army Airworthiness Release for AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Blackhawk; flight-tested on AH-64E Apache.
Defense
Lightweight rear door fairings for MD500E/F/G helicopters constructed from AGATE approved prepreg carbon fiber; received US Army Airworthiness Release.