I started out in aviation in 1992 as an A & P mechanic and pilot during one of aviation's worst periods in the United States. Since that time I have tried to turn my passion for aviation into income. For once, I am not participating in this economic downturn. I have opted out.
In October of 2007 my business partner and I started selling pilot supplies and aviation goodies on AviationLogs.com. Since then, AviationLogs.com has taken off like a Lancair IV with Jet Assist (if you know where I can get one, let me know). Since October I have been hanging onto the stick working as hard as I can to level off at a safe altitude.
Initially I thought the launch would be something more manageable, like a fully loaded 172 or maybe even a 182. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great, I just don’t have time for anything else anymore (like flying and blogging).
One of the best parts of this business is the people I talk to and work with. Recently a would-be air traffic controller called me with a major problem. He had ordered test prep materials to study over the weekend for his test on Monday, but he had made the mistake of ordering his training materials from someone other than AviationLogs.com. Well, they hadn’t arrived yet.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the book to him in time either, so I called Wing Aero. They had them in stock and since they were nearby they could drive one to his house to save him the cost of overnight shipping! Now that is going above and beyond the call of duty. In what other industry do you find that kind of support?
My customers are also a great bunch of people. I have heard a lot of great flying stories. I recently spoke to a guy who was buying a GPS to take with him on a trip from California to Florida to see his son graduate in Pensacola. He was going to try to beat his wife to Florida flying his RV-8 while his wife took a commercial flight with stops. Not much security boarding your own plane. I wonder who got there first...
