Founded in his modest basement factory in 1936, Elmer VanSickle, a WWI veteran and former American Airlines pilot began to manufacture and distribute aircraft wheels and brakes for the general aviation industry. By the late 1960s his operation grew to include the Cleveland Wheels & Brakes product lines, Exacto Cast Foundry and Syncro Devices, located on Center Road in Avon, Ohio. In the late 1970s VanSickle Industries was acquired by Parker Hannifin Corporation, a global leader in aerospace motion controls and became the Parker Aerospace Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division. During this time the Cleveland Wheels & Brakes brand continued to grow in the global market. It has been our privilege to support many notable aircraft programs such as Pilatus PC-12/PC-24, Cessna 172, Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, Air Tractor 602/802, Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey, Daher TBM series, Piper M-series. On September 2022, Parker Aerospace Aircraft Wheel & Brake became part of Kaman Corporation. As part of the Kaman family of high-quality products and services, the Avon team continues to nurture our tradition of growth and solutions-based focus to support the aviation market, all while continuing to use the highly recognized brand name Cleveland Wheels & Brakes.