From carved wood to metal gears

Do you remember how you used to be excited every time you saw an airplane pass through the sky? You were so happy to see something soar and fly, you even mimicked the aircraft by folding papers and “piloting” it with your hands. Now that you are older, you have finally gotten the chance to board an actual plane to go on an adventure.

The things, aircraft, before they take flight also started as a work of art that is made by hand. Giving a glimpse of the process of mounting one is AircraftCity, the home of quality model aircraft and plaques. Prior to being made in metal, AircraftCity’s models undergo a meticulous process to maintain a high level of workmanship. Each of its produced handicrafts is designed from scratch and is hand-carved in solid Kiln Dried Philippine Mahogany wood. All the parts are then assembled and hand-painted by talented craftsmen.

Leading AircraftCity to become one of the 10 known local companies working in this industry is its founder, Lyndon Uson. Lyndon is a Filipino craftsman and entrepreneur whose innate passion for airplanes and experience moved him to venture into the business of handcrafting high-quality military and civilian aircraft models. With the support from his family and industry peers, he soon opened his own company, AircraftCity, which grew and expanded its operations attracting customers from all around the world.

“We are very particular about details. Since our models are handmade, characteristics such as the size of the propeller and the internal cockpit are taken into design consideration,” Lyndon says. “My forte is developing models that my competitors aren’t making or aren’t able to develop.”

With his skills and passion for the job, Lyndon is able to take AircraftCity beyond the Philippines and formed a partnership with Aviator Gear, a US-based e-commerce platform for custom military aviation gear. This partnership brought in resources that enabled AircraftCity to export its creations and connect with global customers. With a wider network, Lyndon is able to focus on the design, production, and shipment of orders to customers from the US, Europe, and other parts of the world.

While the pandemic put everything on hold, especially in the airline department, AircraftCity is able to maintain its connection with its partners and continue its business through logistics companies like FedEx in shipping its products.

“We make it a point that our logistics provider understands that our products are delicate and with FedEx, they offer different shipping tools and solutions that enable me to optimize costs and delivery efficiency,” he says. This is important as Lyndon looks to build another factory to further scale his operations as he mentions that “even our American partner is pushing us to expand as he foresees the production and orders of scaled aircraft models to double by 2022.”

Visit FedEx Express Philippines to learn more innovative ways to expand your business globally.

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