This is the first I've heard of this practice. Does anyone have
firsthand information?

I just heard about this the first time this week on a local pilot board,
but
I'm thinking they got their info from the AOPA article. I haven't
personally
heard of anybody being turned away and we didn't have any problem finding
a
shop to take on our 40-year-old for repair work recently.


There was an addendum to the story in the January 11th AVwebFlash:

-------- quoted text follows ---------

NEED MAINTENANCE? WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES, OTHERS OPEN WIDE
(http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#194198)
Whatever you might say about the aviation industry, you can't say it's
not proactive. Over the last week, competitors jumped
(http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/13_2...Steps_In_19418
9-1.html)
to the plate to scoop up customers dismayed by the closing of Direct
To Avionics. And now, repair shops are speaking up to welcome owners
of older aircraft who have been turned away elsewhere
(http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/13_1...ce_Problems_19
4147-1.html).
Lynn Nichols, president of Yingling Aviation
(http://www.yinglingaviation.com) at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport,
told AVweb on Wednesday that airplanes 18 years old and up are welcome
to darken his hangar door anytime. "We believe we can provide them
with what is arguably the best service available," he said. "We have
established maintenance procedures, tooling and expertise working on
Cessna single and twin-engine aircraft, and located across from the
factory, so if we run into an anomaly, Cessna's product support is
minutes away."
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#194198

--------end of quoted text---------

Peter