Norm Hill Aviation Finds Niche in Gulfstream Parts

Out of the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles up in the Mojave Desert is the California City Airport. As you drive down the road to the airport, Gulfstream tails come into view, and you find Norm Hill Aviation, the “world's largest as-removed Gulfstream parts supplier.”

Owner Norm Hill has been in the aviation business since 1971, and focused solely on Gulfstreams since 1981. He worked for The Jet Center at Van Nuys Airport on the Gulfstream service, inspection, and completion lines for 10 years before joining Circus Circus Hotel and Casinos in Las Vegas as director of maintenance taking care of a fleet of 10 Gulfstreams for five years.  

At 55, Hill had been managing the West Coast sales operation for Dallas Automotive for 10 years. Seeing that replacement part prices were killing the longevity of the older Gulfstream IIs and Gulfstream IIIs, Hill found a niche in the market to specialize in "as-removed" second-hand parts.

Hill started out of his home office, removing parts from one Gulfstream II at the airport and then storing them in two containers in his backyard before going all in and moving to the current location at California City in 2011.

From those humble beginnings of one hangar and parking aircraft on a distant airfield, Hill has expanded with parts storage and a new purpose-built parking ramp for the 46 Gulfstream IIs, Gulfstream IIIs, and Gulfstream IVs he currently stores. A Gulfstream V is in the works. Business is now moving from the G-II and G-III to the GIV. There are currently three GIVs in stock with a projection to procure another seven or eight before year-end.

Hill explained, “There were 458 Gulfstream IIs and Gulfstream IIIs built, [and] only 107 of those airframes are currently serviceable, so the future lies with the Gulfstream IV, with 852 built. This gives us a much greater range when it comes to market sales.”

Norm Hill Aviation focuses exclusively on Gulfstreams. All aircraft are inspected and vetted by Hill before the purchase and then they're flown to California City for parting out. With a total of 16 staff and certified A&P mechanics working together, the parts are removed from the aircraft upon arrival, shrink wrapped, and stored in a temperature-controlled building with the full history label, awaiting sale. Every part sold can be traced to birth, so the customer knows the full history before purchase.

Parts are sold all over the world, with 92 percent sold to customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Parts can be ordered directly from Norm Hill or purchased online through Partsbase.

Any part on the shelf ordered before 1 p.m. will be shipped same day via FedEx or UPS and will arrive on the next business day. In the case of unusual parts still on the airframes, all efforts are made to remove the part for dispatch the same day.

With the company now advancing into the Gulfstream GIV market, there are plans in the pipeline to move to new premises on the airport. The California City airport has plans for a 15-acre transient space, a new FBO and two large hangars. Hill hopes to secure a long-term lease for new hangar space. Once that's done, plans are to upgrade and have a separate maintenance and tear-down division.