Evolving Brilliance

PWI, Inc.—formerly Precision Winding, Inc.—was founded in 1963 by Miklos (Miki) Lorik, an immigrant who fled Hungary with his wife and her family during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

Mr. Lorik modified his wife’s sewing machine and used the resultant contraption to create small, precision wire-wound resistors—thereby laying the groundwork for what would become a successful coil-winding business. That Lorik’s client-list and company grew is certain—as is the fact that he steadily acquired increasingly modern and advanced winding machines. What remains unknown is whether or not Mrs. Lorik ever got her sewing machine back.

Today, PWI serves the aerospace, agricultural, automotive, motorcycle, and military industries. The Wichita-based company maintains a highly-skilled engineering staff by dint of which it develops and supports state-of-the-art technologies the likes of its FAA-approved LED aircraft cabin, and external lighting systems.

On 4 October 2022. PWI announced that Mexico’s Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC) [formerly DGAC] had granted final approval of the company’s LED cabin lighting upgrade for the Beechcraft King Air 300 and B300/350 models. Subject LED lighting upgrade previously earned STC, EASA and ANAC certifications.

As an OEM vendor, PWI formerly designed and manufactured the King Air fluorescent cabin lighting supplied to the Beechcraft/Raytheon/Textron factory. The company has since developed LED cabin lighting that functions as a direct replacement for its original fluorescent lights. The new rectangular headliner LED lights are plug-and-play—which is to say they install without soldering, and utilize extant aircraft wiring and cockpit and cabin controls. 

PWI’s King Air 300 series features a cabin aisle headliner with 36 rectangular lights (model 300) or 42 lights (model B300/350) and the option for 4100K Warm White or 5100K Cool White LEDs.

PWI president and CEO Robi Lorik states: “PWI King Air LEDs continue to be a popular upgrade for King Air 300 series owners and operators. The [upgrade’s] low power draw and extremely long life appeal to business flying as well as charter and special missions operations. Paring those LEDs with our PMA-approved LED Reading Lights creates an entirely refreshed cabin experience.”

PWI LEDs are a very-long-life and very-low-power-draw alternatives to incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lights. In addition to its King Air illumination packages, the company offers cabin lights and a growing list of external LED lighting options for a number of business aircraft marques and models.

FMI: www.pwi-e.com