RISK FACTORS

         An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risks and other information contained in this prospectus before you decide whether to buy our common stock. If any of the events contemplated by the following discussion of risks should occur, our business, results of operations and financial condition could suffer significantly. As a result, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of the money you paid to buy our common stock. The following is a summary of all the material risks known to us.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We are directly dependent upon the condition of the aerospace industry, which is closely tied to global economic conditions, and if the volatility in the global financial markets were to result in a slowdown in the current economic recovery or a return to a recession, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

        Demand for the products and services we offer is directly tied to the delivery of new aircraft and aircraft utilization, which, in turn, is impacted by global economic conditions. Although the economy has exhibited signs of recovery, global financial markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption for more than two years, which, at times, reached unprecedented levels as a result of the financial crisis affecting the banking system and participants in the global financial markets. Concerns over the tightening of the corporate credit markets, inflation, energy costs and the dislocation of the real estate and mortgage markets have contributed to the volatility in the global financial markets and, together with the global financial crisis, have created uncertainties for global economic conditions in the future. The aerospace industry is particularly sensitive to changes in economic conditions. In 2009, RPMs on commercial aircraft declined due to the global recession. During the same period, the industry experienced declines in large commercial, regional jet and business jet deliveries. While demand for commercial and regional jets has recovered somewhat, business jet orders and deliveries have recovered more slowly. A slowdown in the current economic recovery or a return to a recession would negatively impact the aerospace industry, and could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Military spending, including spending on the products we sell, is dependent upon national defense budgets, and a reduction in military spending could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        During the year ended September 30, 2010, approximately 53% of our net sales were related to military aircraft. The military market is significantly dependent upon government budget trends, particularly the U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, budget. Future DoD budgets could be negatively impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, a change in defense spending policy by the current and future presidential administrations and Congress, the U.S. Government's budget deficits, spending priorities, the cost of sustaining the U.S. military presence in overseas operations and possible political pressure to reduce U.S. Government military spending, each of which could cause the DoD budget to decline. A decline in U.S. military expenditures could result in a reduction in military aircraft production, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to unique business risks as a result of supplying equipment and services to the U.S. Government directly and as a subcontractor, which could lead to a reduction in our net sales from, or the profitability of our supply arrangements with, the U.S. Government.

        Companies engaged in supplying defense-related equipment and services to U.S. Government agencies are subject to business risks specific to the defense industry. We contract directly with the U.S. Government and as a subcontractor to customers contracting with the U.S. Government. These risks include the ability of the U.S. Government to unilaterally suspend us from receiving new contracts

10

Table of Contents

pending resolution of alleged violations of procurement laws or regulations, reduce the value of existing contracts and audit our contract-related costs and fees. In addition, most of our U.S. Government contracts and subcontracts can be terminated by the U.S. Government or the contracting party, as applicable, at its convenience. Termination for convenience provisions provide only for our recovery of costs incurred or committed, settlement expenses and profit on the work completed prior to termination.

        In addition, the U.S. Government may seek to review our costs to determine whether our pricing is "fair and reasonable." Such a review could be costly and time consuming for our management and could distract from our ability to effectively manage the business. As a result of such a review, we could be required to provide a refund to the U.S. Government or we could be asked to enter into an arrangement whereby our prices would be based on cost or the DoD could seek to pursue alternative sources of supply for our parts. Any of those occurrences could lead to a reduction in our net sales from, or the profitability of certain of our supply arrangements with, certain agencies and buying organizations of the U.S. Government.

        We are also subject to the federal False Claims Act, which provides for substantial civil penalties and treble damages where a contractor presents a false or fraudulent claim to the government for payment. Actions under the False Claims Act may be brought by the government or by other persons on behalf of the government (who may then share in any recovery).

We do not have guaranteed future sales of the products we sell and when we enter into JIT contracts and LTAs with our customers we generally take the risk of cost overruns, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and operating margins may be negatively affected if we purchase more products than our customers require, product costs increase unexpectedly or our contracts are terminated.

        Our JIT contracts and LTAs are long-term, fixed-price agreements with no guarantee of future sales volumes, and they may be terminated for convenience on short notice by our customers, often without meaningful penalties, provided that we are reimbursed for the cost of any inventory specifically procured for the customer. In addition, we purchase inventory based on our forecasts of anticipated future customer demand. As a result, we may take the risk of having excess inventory in the event that our customers do not place orders consistent with our forecasts. We also run the risk of not being able to pass along or otherwise recover unexpected increases in our product costs, including as a result of commodity price increases, which may increase above our established prices at the time we entered into the customer contract and established prices for parts we provide. In the event that we purchase more products than our customers require, product costs increase unexpectedly or our contracts are terminated, our business, financial condition, results of operations and operating margins could be negatively affected.

If we lose significant customers, significant customers materially reduce their purchase orders or significant programs on which we rely are delayed, scaled back or eliminated, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

        Our top ten customers for the year ended September 30, 2010 accounted for approximately 48% of our net sales. Boeing was our largest customer during fiscal 2010, accounting for approximately 15% of our net sales through purchases by its various divisions and subsidiaries. A reduction in purchasing by or loss of one of our larger customers for any reason, such as changes in manufacturing practices, loss of a customer as a result of the acquisition of such customer by a purchaser who does not fully utilize a distribution model or uses a competitor, in-sourcing by customers, a transfer of business to a competitor, an economic downturn, failure to adequately service our clients, decreased production or a strike, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        As an example of changes in manufacturing practices that could impact us, OEMs such as Boeing and Airbus are currently incorporating an increasing amount of composite materials in the aircraft they

11

Table of Contents

manufacture. Aircraft utilizing composite materials generally require the use of significantly fewer C class aerospace parts than new aircraft made of more traditional non-composite materials, although the parts used are generally higher priced than C class aerospace parts used in non-composite aircraft structures. As Boeing, Airbus and other customers increase their reliance on composite materials, they may materially reduce their purchase orders from us.

        As an example of the loss of a customer resulting from the acquisition of such customer by a purchaser that does not intend to fully utilize our distribution model, we were notified by Boeing of its intent to perform certain supply chain management functions in-house that we were providing at two facilities under JIT contracts that were awarded to us prior to these particular facilities being acquired by Boeing. In fiscal 2010, sales at these facilities accounted for approximately 5.8% of net sales.

        As an example of the potential loss of business due to customer in-sourcing, it is our understanding that Boeing is undertaking an initiative to cause its first and second tier suppliers to source certain Boeing-specific materials, including fasteners, directly from manufacturers, rather than through distributors such as us. If Boeing's initiative is broadly implemented, a portion of our sales to these Boeing suppliers, and consequently our business, financial condition and results of operations, could be adversely affected.

        While we believe that we have a diversified customer and aircraft program base, we expect to derive a significant portion of our net sales from certain aerospace programs in their early production stages. In particular, our future growth will be dependent, in part, upon our sales to various OEMs and subcontractors related to the Boeing 787 and the Lockheed Martin JSF. For example, we estimate that 10% of our net sales during fiscal 2010, which includes the 5.8% of net sales generated at the facilities acquired by Boeing that are referenced above, were derived from sales to a number of customers related to the Boeing 787 and that approximately 20% of the parts we held in inventory primarily pertained to the Boeing 787. If production of any of the programs we support is terminated or delayed, or if our sales to customers affiliated with these programs are reduced or eliminated, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive market and our failure to compete effectively may negatively impact our results of operations.

        We operate in a highly competitive global industry and compete against a number of companies, including divisions of larger companies, some of which may have significantly greater financial resources than we do, and therefore may be able to adapt more quickly to changes in customer requirements than we can. Our competitors consist of both U.S. and foreign companies and range in size from divisions of large public corporations to small privately held entities. We believe that our ability to compete depends on superior customer service and support, on-time delivery, sufficient inventory availability, competitive pricing and effective quality assurance programs. In order to remain competitive, we may have to adjust the prices of some of the products and services we sell and continue investing in our procurement, supply-chain management and sales and marketing functions, the costs of which could negatively impact our results of operations.

        In addition, we face competition for our JIT and LTA customers from both competitors in our industry and the in-sourcing of supply-chain management by our customers themselves. If any of our JIT or LTA customers decides to in-source the services we provide or switch to one of our competitors, we would be adversely affected.

We may be unable to effectively manage our inventory as we grow, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods and intend to continue to grow our business by increasing our product offerings and expanding our customer base. Due to the lead times required by our suppliers, we order products in advance of expected sales, the volume of which orders may be significant as a result of our growth strategy. Lead times generally range from several weeks up to two

12

Table of Contents

years, depending on industry conditions, which make it difficult to successfully manage our inventory as we plan for expected growth. For example, in 2009, our cash flows were negatively impacted as our suppliers continued filling orders that we had placed in anticipation of future sales, while orders from our customers slowed because the aerospace industry had entered a significant downturn. In the future, if we are unable to effectively manage our inventory as we attempt to grow our business, our cash flows may be negatively affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If suppliers are unable to supply us with the products we sell in a timely manner, in adequate quantities and/or at a reasonable cost, we may be unable to meet the demands of our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        Our inventory is primarily sourced directly from manufacturing firms, and we depend on the availability of large supplies of the products we sell. Our largest supplier for the year ended September 30, 2010 was Precision Castparts. During fiscal 2010, approximately 22% of the products we purchased were from Precision Castparts and 20% were purchased from Alcoa Fastening Systems. In addition, our ten largest suppliers during fiscal 2010 accounted for approximately 58% of our purchases. These manufacturers may experience capacity constraints that result in their being unable to supply us with products in a timely manner, in adequate quantities and/or at a reasonable cost. Contributing factors to manufacturer capacity constraints include, among other things, industry or customer demands in excess of machine capacity, labor shortages and changes in raw material flows. Any significant interruption in the supply of these products or termination of our relationship with any of our suppliers could result in us being unable to meet the demands of our customers, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is highly dependent on complex information technology.

        The provision and application of IT is an increasingly critical aspect of our business. Among other things, our IT system must frequently interact with those of our customers, suppliers and logistics providers. Our future success will depend on our continued ability to employ an IT system that meets our customers' demands. The failure of the hardware or software that supports our IT system, including redundancy systems, could significantly disrupt our ability to service our customers and cause economic losses for which we could be held liable and which could damage our reputation.

        Our competitors may have or may develop IT systems that permit them to be more cost effective and otherwise better situated to meet customer demands than we are able to acquire or develop. Larger competitors may be able to develop or license IT systems more cost effectively than we can by spreading the cost across a larger revenue base, and competitors with greater financial resources may be able to acquire or develop IT systems that we cannot afford. If we fail to meet the demands of our customers or protect against disruptions of our IT system, we may lose customers, which could seriously harm our business and adversely affect our operating results and operating cash flow.

We may be unable to retain personnel who are key to our operations.

        Our success, among other things, is dependent on our ability to attract, develop and retain highly qualified senior management and other key personnel. Competition for key personnel is intense, and our ability to attract and retain key personnel is dependent on a number of factors, including prevailing market conditions and compensation packages offered by companies competing for the same talent. The inability to hire, develop and retain these key employees may adversely affect our operations.

There are risks inherent in international operations that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        While the majority of our operations are based in the United States, we have significant international operations, with facilities in Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Saudi Arabia,

13

Table of Contents

South Korea and the United Kingdom, and customers throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. For the years ended September 30, 2009 and 2010, 32% and 26%, respectively, of our net sales were derived from customers located outside the United States.

        Our international operations are subject to, without limitation, the following risks:

•

the burden of complying with multiple and possibly conflicting laws and any unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;



•

political risks, including risks of loss due to civil disturbances, acts of terrorism, acts of war, guerilla activities and insurrection;



•

unstable economic, financial and market conditions and increased expenses as a result of inflation, or higher interest rates;



•

difficulties in enforcement of third-party contractual obligations and collecting receivables through foreign legal systems;



•

difficulties in staffing and managing international operations and the application of foreign labor regulations;



•

differing local product preferences and product requirements; and



•

potentially adverse tax consequences from changes in tax laws, requirements relating to withholding taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries and restrictions on our ability to repatriate dividends from our subsidiaries.

        In addition, fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies affect the dollar value of our net investment in foreign subsidiaries, with these fluctuations being included in a separate component of stockholders' equity. At September 30, 2010, we reported a cumulative foreign currency translation adjustment of approximately $4.4 million in stockholders' equity as a result of foreign currency adjustments, and we may incur additional adjustments in future periods. In addition, operating results of foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars for purposes of our statement of operations at average monthly exchange rates. Moreover, to the extent that our net sales are not denominated in the same currency as our expenses, our net earnings could be materially adversely affected. For example, a portion of labor, material and overhead costs for our facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy are incurred in British Pounds or Euros, but the related net sales are generally denominated in U.S. dollars. Changes in the value of the U.S. dollar or other currencies could result in material fluctuations in foreign currency translation amounts or the U.S. dollar value of transactions and, as a result, our net earnings could be materially adversely affected. For example, in fiscal 2009, the strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to the British pound resulted in a negative impact of approximately $22.1 million. Although we at times engage in hedging transactions to manage or reduce our foreign exchange risk, our attempts to manage our foreign currency exchange risk may not be successful and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

        Our international operations also cause our business to be subject to the U.S. Export Control regime and similar regulations in other countries, in particular in the United Kingdom. In the United States, items of a commercial nature are generally subject to regulatory control by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security and to Export Administration Regulations, and other international trade regulations may apply as well. Additionally, we are not permitted to export some of the products we sell. In the future, regulatory authorities may require us to obtain export licenses or other export authorizations to export the products we sell abroad, depending upon the nature of items being exported, as well as the country to which the export is to be made. We cannot assure you that any of our applications for export licenses or other authorizations will be granted or approved. Furthermore, the export license and export authorization process is often time-consuming. Violation of export control regulations could subject us to fines and other penalties, such as losing the ability to

14

Table of Contents

export for a period of years, which would limit our sales and significantly hinder our attempts to expand our business internationally.

Our international operations require us to comply with anti-corruption laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various international jurisdictions, and our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

        Doing business on a worldwide basis requires us and our subsidiaries to comply with the laws and regulations of the U.S. government and various international jurisdictions, and our failure to successfully comply with these rules and regulations may expose us to liabilities. These laws and regulations apply to companies, individual directors, officers, employees and agents, and may restrict our operations, trade practices, investment decisions and partnering activities. In particular, our international operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA. The FCPA prohibits us from providing anything of value to foreign officials for the purposes of influencing official decisions or obtaining or retaining business or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment, and requires companies to maintain adequate record-keeping and internal accounting practices to accurately reflect the transactions of the company. As part of our business, we deal with state-owned business enterprises, the employees and representatives of which may be considered foreign officials for purposes of the FCPA. In addition, some of the international locations in which we operate lack a developed legal system and have elevated levels of corruption. As a result of the above activities, we are exposed to the risk of violating anti-corruption laws.

        We are also subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulation, or ITAR. ITAR requires export licenses from the U.S. Department of State for products shipped outside the U.S. that have military or strategic applications. Violations of these legal requirements are punishable by criminal fines and imprisonment, civil penalties, disgorgement of profits, injunctions, debarment from government contracts as well as other remedial measures. We have established policies and procedures designed to assist us and our personnel to comply with applicable U.S. and international laws and regulations. However, there can be no assurance that our policies and procedures will effectively prevent us from violating these regulations in every transaction in which we may engage, and such a violation could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

If any of our customers were to become insolvent or experience substantial financial difficulties, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

        If any of the customers with whom we do business becomes insolvent or experiences substantial financial difficulties we may be unable to timely collect amounts owed to us by such customers and may not be able to sell the inventory we have purchased for such customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, during the year ended September 30, 2009, we wrote off a receivable of $2.4 million and inventory of approximately $1.8 million after one of our customers filed for bankruptcy protection. The majority of these write-offs were recorded as a reduction to receivable and inventory reserves taken during prior fiscal years.

We, our suppliers or our customers may experience damage to or disruptions at our or their facilities caused by natural disasters and other factors, which may result in our business, financial condition and results of operations being adversely affected.

        Several of our facilities or those of our suppliers and customers could be subject to a catastrophic loss caused by earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fire, power loss, telecommunication and information systems failure or other similar events. Should insurance be insufficient to recover all such losses or should we be unable to reestablish our operations, or if our customers or suppliers were to experience material disruptions in their operations as a result of such events, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

15

Table of Contents

We are dependent on access to and the performance of third-party package delivery companies.

        Our ability to provide efficient distribution of the products we sell to our customers is an integral component of our overall business strategy. We do not maintain our own delivery networks, and instead rely on third-party package delivery companies. We cannot assure you that we will always be able to ensure access to preferred delivery companies or that these companies will continue to meet our needs or provide reasonable pricing terms. In addition, if the package delivery companies on which we rely experience delays resulting from inclement weather or other disruptions, we may be unable to maintain products in inventory and deliver products to our customers on a timely basis, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant labor dispute involving us or one or more of our customers or suppliers, or a labor dispute that otherwise affects our operations, could reduce our net sales and harm our profitability.

        Labor disputes involving us or one or more of our customers or suppliers could affect our operations. For example, a labor dispute affecting Boeing has contributed to delays in the Boeing 787 program and impacted the production of other aircraft platforms. If our customers or suppliers are unable to negotiate new labor agreements and our customers' or suppliers' plants experience slowdowns or closures as a result, our net sales and profitability could be negatively impacted.

        While our employees are not currently unionized, they may attempt to form unions in the future, and the employees of our customers, suppliers and other service providers may be, or may in the future be, unionized. We cannot assure you that there will not be any strike, lock out or material labor dispute with respect to our business or those of our customers or suppliers in the future that materially affects our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be materially adversely affected by high fuel prices.

        Fluctuations in the global supply of crude oil and the possibility of changes in government policies on the production, transportation and marketing of jet fuel make it impossible to predict the future availability and price of jet fuel. In the event there is an outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other conflicts or significant disruptions in oil production or delivery in oil-producing areas or elsewhere, there could be reductions in the production or importation of crude oil and significant increases in the cost of jet fuel. If there were major reductions in the availability of jet fuel or significant increases in its cost, commercial airlines would face increased operating costs. Due to the competitive nature of the airline industry, airlines are often unable to pass on increases in fuel prices to customers by increasing fares. As a result, an increase in jet fuel could result in a decrease in net income from either lower margins or, if airlines increase ticket fares, less net sales from reduced airline travel. Decreases in airline profitability could decrease the demand for new commercial aircraft, resulting in delays of or reductions in deliveries of commercial aircraft that utilize the products we sell, and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our financial results may fluctuate from period-to-period, making quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our business, financial condition and results of operations less reliable indicators of our future performance.

        There are many factors, such as the cyclical nature of the aerospace industry, fluctuations in our ad hoc sales, delays in major aircraft programs, downward pressure on sales prices and changes in the volume of our customers' orders, that could cause our financial results to fluctuate from period-to-period. For example, during the year ended September 30, 2010, approximately 37% of our net sales were derived from ad hoc sales. The prices we charge for ad hoc sales are typically higher than the prices under our JIT contracts or LTAs. However, ad hoc customers may not continue to purchase the same amount of products from us as they have in the past, so we cannot assure you that in any given year we will be able to generate similar net sales from our ad hoc customers as we did in the past. We are also actively working to transition customers from ad hoc purchases to multi-year LTAs or comprehensive JIT supply chain management agreements, which may also result in a reduction

16

Table of Contents

in ad hoc purchases. A significant diminution in our ad hoc sales in any given period could result in fluctuations in our financial results and operating margins. As a result of these factors, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily meaningful and that these comparisons cannot be relied upon as indicators of future performance.

Upon completion of this offering, we will continue to be controlled by Carlyle and its affiliates, whose interests in our business may be different than yours.

        The interests of Carlyle and its affiliates could conflict with yours. Upon completion of this offering, certain funds affiliated with Carlyle will own approximately          % and        % of our common stock, respectively, or approximately        % and      %, respectively, if the underwriters' overallotment option is exercised in full. As a result of this ownership, Carlyle will continue to have substantial influence over the outcome of votes on all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and approval of significant corporate transactions. Carlyle will also be able to take actions that have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company or discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares, which could prevent stockholders from receiving a premium for their shares. These actions may be taken even if other stockholders oppose them. Moreover, this concentration of stock ownership may make it difficult for stockholders to replace management and may also adversely affect the trading price for our common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with controlling stockholders. In addition, pursuant to the Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement, Carlyle will continue to have certain rights to appoint directors to our board of directors following the consummation of this offering, and Randy Snyder, Susan Snyder, certain affiliates of Mr. Snyder and certain of our employees, which we collectively refer to as the Wesco Stockholders, are required to vote their shares in favor of such directors. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions." In addition, Carlyle and its affiliates may also in the future own businesses that directly compete with ours.

We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the rules of the stock exchange on which we will be listed and, as a result, expect to qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

        Following the consummation of this offering, we expect that Carlyle will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we expect to be a "controlled company" within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the stock exchange on which we will be listed. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a "controlled company" and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

•

the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors;



•

the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities;

17

Table of Contents

•

the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities; and



•

the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

        Following this offering, we intend to utilize these exemptions if we continue to qualify as a "controlled company." For these purposes, as a result of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement, the Wesco Stockholders and the affiliates of Carlyle that own shares will be treated as a "group," and therefore the Wesco Stockholders' shares will be included in determining whether we are a controlled company. If we utilize these exemptions we will not have a majority of independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees will not consist entirely of independent directors and such committees will not be subject to annual performance evaluations. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the listing exchange.

We will incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a publicly traded company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance requirements and investor needs.

        As a publicly traded company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur. Although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty, they are likely to be material in amount. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and the national securities exchange on which we will be listed have imposed various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain appropriate levels of coverage.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired and investors' views of us could be harmed.

        The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management and, to the extent required, our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, with auditor attestation of the effectiveness of our internal controls, beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of shares of our common stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which we will be listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

        Our ability to successfully implement our business plan and comply with Section 404 requires us to be able to prepare timely and accurate financial statements. Any delay in the implementation of, or disruption in the transition to, new or enhanced systems, procedures or controls, may cause our operations to suffer and we may be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial

18

Table of Contents

reporting is effective and to obtain an unqualified report on internal controls from our auditors if required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Moreover, we cannot be certain that these measures would ensure that we implement and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future. Even if we were to conclude, and our auditors were to concur, that our internal control over financial reporting provided reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S., or GAAP, because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect fraud or misstatements. This, in turn, could have an adverse impact on the trading price of our shares of common stock, and could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets.

We are subject to health, safety and environmental laws and regulations, any violation of which could subject us to significant liabilities and penalties.

        We are subject to extensive and changing federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations establishing health, safety and environmental quality standards and may be subject to liability or penalties for violations of those standards. We are also subject to laws and regulations governing remediation of contamination at facilities currently or formerly owned or operated by us or to which we have sent hazardous substances or wastes for treatment, recycling or disposal. We may be subject to future liabilities or obligations as a result of new or more stringent interpretations of existing laws and regulations. In addition, we may have liabilities or obligations in the future if we discover any environmental contamination or liability at any of our facilities, or at facilities we may acquire.

Our reputation and/or our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if one of the products we sell causes an aircraft to crash.

        We may be exposed to liabilities for personal injury, death or property damage as a result of the failure of a product we have sold. We typically agree to indemnify our customers against certain liabilities resulting from the products we sell. Although we may seek third party indemnification from our suppliers in the event of a product failure, we cannot guarantee that we will be successful in doing so and may ultimately be held liable. While we maintain liability insurance to protect us in these situations, our insurers may attempt to deny coverage or any coverage we have may not be adequate. We also may not be able to maintain insurance coverage in the future at an acceptable cost. Any liability for which third party indemnification is not available that is not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        In addition, a crash caused by one of the products we have sold could damage our reputation for selling quality products. We believe our customers consider safety and reliability as key criteria in selecting a provider of aircraft products and believe our reputation for quality assurance is a significant competitive strength. If a crash were to be caused by one of the products we sold, or if we were to otherwise fail to maintain a satisfactory record of safety and reliability, our ability to retain and attract customers may be materially adversely affected.

We sell products to a highly regulated industry and our business may be adversely affected if our suppliers or customers lose government approvals, if more stringent government regulations are enacted or if industry oversight is increased.

        The aerospace industry is highly regulated in the United States and in other countries. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA, prescribes standards and other requirements for aircraft components in the U.S. and comparable agencies, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau, regulate these matters in other countries. Our suppliers and customers must generally be certified by the FAA, the DoD and similar agencies in foreign countries. If any of our suppliers' government certifications are

19

Table of Contents

revoked, we would be less likely to buy such supplier's products, and, as a result, would need to locate a suitable alternate supply of such products, which we may be unable to accomplish on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If any of our customers' government certifications are revoked, their demand for the products we sell would decline. In each case, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

        In addition, if new and more stringent government regulations are adopted or if industry oversight increases, our suppliers and customers may incur significant expenses to comply with such new regulations or heightened industry oversight. In the case of our suppliers, these expenses may be passed on to us in the form of price increases, which we may be unable to pass along to our customers. In the case of our customers, these expenses may limit their ability to purchase products from us. In each case, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We may be unable to successfully consummate or integrate future acquisitions, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        We may consider future acquisitions, some of which could be material to us. Depending upon the acquisition opportunities available, we may need to raise additional funds through the capital markets or arrange for additional debt financing in order to consummate such acquisitions. We may be unable to raise the capital required for future acquisitions on satisfactory terms or at all, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our operations and may be unable to realize any anticipated benefits from future acquisitions, which failure to do so could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our total assets include substantial intangible assets, and the write-off of a significant portion of our intangible assets would negatively affect our financial results.

        Our total assets reflect substantial intangible assets. At September 30, 2010, goodwill and intangible assets, net represented approximately 47% of our total assets. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of acquired businesses over the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed resulting from acquisitions, including the Carlyle Acquisition. Intangible assets, net represents tradenames, customer backlogs, non-compete agreements and customer relationships. On at least an annual basis, we assess whether there has been an impairment in the value of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. If our testing identifies an impairment under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, the impairment charge we calculate would result in a charge to operating earnings. Any determination requiring the write-off of a significant portion of goodwill and unamortized identified intangible assets would negatively affect our results of operations and total capitalization, which could be material.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and could harm our ability to react to changes to our business.

        We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of March 31, 2011, our total long-term indebtedness outstanding under our old senior secured credit facilities was approximately $606.2 million, which was approximately 50.6% of our total capitalization.

        In addition, we may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Although the new senior secured credit facilities contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and the indebtedness incurred in compliance with these qualifications and exceptions could be substantial. If we incur additional debt, the risks associated with our substantial leverage would increase.

20

Table of Contents

        Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to investors. For example, it could:

•

increase our vulnerability to general economic downturns and industry conditions;



•

require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements;



•

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;



•

place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors that have less debt; and



•

limit, along with the financial and other restrictive covenants contained in the documents governing our indebtedness, among other things, our ability to borrow additional funds, make investments and incur liens.

        In addition, all of our debt under the new senior secured credit facilities bears interest at floating rates. Accordingly, in the event that interest rates increase, our debt service expense will also increase.

        Our substantial level of indebtedness increases the possibility that we may be unable to generate cash sufficient to pay, when due, the principal of, interest on or other amounts due in respect of our indebtedness. We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us under the new senior secured credit facilities or otherwise in amounts sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness. If we cannot service our debt, we will have to take actions such as reducing or delaying capital investments, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our debt or seeking additional equity capital and cannot assure you that we will be successful in implementing any such actions or that any actions we take will allow us to stay in compliance with the terms of our indebtedness.

The terms of the new senior secured credit facilities and other debt instruments may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions.

        The new senior secured credit facilities contain a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interests. The new senior secured credit facilities include covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to:

•

incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock;



•

pay distributions on, redeem or repurchase our capital stock or redeem or repurchase our subordinated debt;



•

make investments;



•

sell assets;



•

enter into agreements that restrict distributions or other payments from our restricted subsidiaries to us;



•

incur or allow to exist liens;



•

consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of our assets;



•

engage in transactions with affiliates;



•

enter into sale leaseback transactions;



•

change fiscal periods;

21

Table of Contents

•

enter into agreements that restrict the granting of liens or the making of subsidiary distributions;



•

create unrestricted subsidiaries; and



•

engage in certain business activities.

        In addition, the new senior secured credit facilities contain financial maintenance covenants, including a maximum leverage ratio covenant and a minimum interest coverage ratio covenant. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the new senior secured credit facilities. If any such default occurs, the lenders under the new senior secured credit facilities may elect to declare all outstanding borrowings, together with accrued interest and other amounts payable thereunder, to be immediately due and payable. The lenders under the new first lien credit facility also have the right in these circumstances to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings. In addition, following an event of default under the new senior secured credit facilities, the lenders under those facilities will have the right to proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure the debt, which includes our available cash. If the debt under the new senior secured credit facilities was to be accelerated, we cannot assure you that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full our debt.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

There is no existing market for our common stock, and we do not know if one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity to sell our common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price you paid in this offering.

        Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our common stock. We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our company will lead to the development of an active trading market on the stock exchange on which we will list or otherwise or how liquid that market might become. If an active trading market does not develop, you may have difficulty selling any of our common stock that you buy. The initial public offering price for the common stock will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the open market following this offering. Consequently, you may not be able to sell our common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price you paid in this offering, or at all.

The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

        Volatility in the market price of our common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your common stock at or above the price you paid for your common stock. The market price of our common stock could fluctuate significantly for various reasons, including:

•

our operating and financial performance and prospects;



•

our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry;



•

the public's reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;



•

changes in, or failure to meet, earnings estimates or recommendations by research analysts who track our common stock or the stock of other companies in our industry;



•

the failure of analysts to cover our common stock;



•

strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;



•

new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;



•

changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;

22

Table of Contents

•

the impact on our profitability temporarily caused by the time lag between when we experience cost increases until these increases flow through cost of sales because of our method of accounting for inventory;



•

material litigations or government investigations;



•

changes in general conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from war, incidents of terrorism or responses to such events;



•

changes in key personnel;



•

sales of common stock by us or members of our management team;



•

termination of lock-up agreements with our management team;



•

the granting or exercise of employee stock options;



•

the volume of trading in our common stock; and



•

the realization of any risks described under "Risk Factors."

        In addition, in the past two and a half years, the U.S. stock market has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant impact on the market price of securities issued by many companies, including companies in our industry. The changes frequently appear to occur without regard to the operating performance of the affected companies. Hence, the price of our common stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with our company, and these fluctuations could materially reduce our share price and cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Further, in the past, market fluctuations and price declines in a company's stock have led to securities class action litigations. If such a suit were to arise, it could have a substantial cost and divert our resources regardless of the outcome.

If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

        The research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business may vary widely and may not predict accurate results, but will likely have an effect on the trading price of our common stock. If an industry analyst decides not to cover our company, or if an industry analyst decides to cease covering our company at some point in the future, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline. We may be subject to greater risk of losing analyst coverage as a result of the size of this offering and the relative number of shares that will be available for trading in the public market. If an industry analyst downgrades our stock, our stock price would likely decline rapidly in response.

We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock, so you may not receive funds without selling your common stock.

        We have no plans to pay regular dividends on our common stock. We generally intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Any payment of future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, statutory and contractual restrictions applying to the payment of dividends and other considerations that our board of directors deems relevant. The new senior secured credit facilities also effectively limit our ability to pay dividends. Accordingly, you may have to sell some or all of your common stock in order to generate cash flow from your investment. You may not receive a gain on your investment when you sell your common stock and you may lose the entire amount of the investment.

23

Table of Contents

Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, as a result, depress the trading price of our common stock.

        Following this offering, we expect that our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management that the stockholders of our company may deem advantageous. These provisions will:

•

establish a classified board of directors, with three classes of directors;



•

authorize the issuance of blank check preferred stock that our board of directors could issue to increase the number of outstanding shares and to discourage a takeover attempt;



•

limit the ability of stockholders to remove directors if a "group," as defined under Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act, ceases to own more than 50% of our common stock;



•

prohibit our stockholders from calling a special meeting of stockholders;



•

prohibit stockholder action by written consent, which requires all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders, if a "group" ceases to own more than 50% of our common stock;



•

provide that our board of directors is expressly authorized to adopt, or to alter or repeal our bylaws; and



•

establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

        These anti-takeover defenses could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take corporate actions other than those you desire.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could lower our share price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities may dilute your ownership in us and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

        We and our existing stockholders may sell additional shares of common stock in subsequent public offerings. We may also issue additional shares of common stock or convertible debt securities to finance future acquisitions. After the consummation of this offering, we will have        shares of common stock authorized and        shares of common stock outstanding. This number includes        shares that the selling stockholders are selling in this offering, which may be resold immediately in the public market. Of the remaining shares,          , or        % of our total outstanding shares, are restricted from immediate resale under the lock-up agreements between us, all of our directors and executive officers, holders of more than          % of our outstanding stock, the selling stockholders and the underwriters described in "Underwriting," but may be sold into the market in the near future. These shares will become available for sale following the expiration of the lock-up agreements, which, without the prior consent of the representatives of the underwriters, is 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to compliance with the applicable requirements under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act.

        We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our common stock will have on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock (including sales pursuant to Carlyle's registration rights and shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions" and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale."

24

Table of Contents