Avionics News May 2017 - 43

What's a typical
day for you?
When I come in, I take care of
emails and go out to make sure
we have fuel in the self-serve
tanks. Then, I'll start working on
whatever airplane is our current
project. Today, I'm working on an
ADS-B job on a Bonanza. When
I'm not working directly on an
airplane, I'll spend a couple
of hours each day building my
network of contacts and reaching
out to customers.
You must still like the
hands-on work.
Yes, I love the hands-on work.
That was one of the big driving
forces for coming here. When
I was at Fargo Jet Center, I was
avionics manager, and I didn't get
much hands-on work. But now I
do, and I love it.
Besides the actual work
on airplanes, what do you
like best about this job?
I appreciate that I could make
the shop exactly what I wanted,
with all the test equipment I
wanted. I could customize the
work benches, the forms - all the
paperwork is exactly the way I
want it to be. As time goes by, I
see the business growing and see
the interest in what we have here
growing. After being involved

with avionics for 15 years, I am
now a one-man show. We are
hiring one additional person soon,
but I know what works for me.

the right equipment, it sounds
phenomenal. Now the vinyl trend
is fading a bit, and we're moving
on to reel-to-reel tapes.

What do you do when
you're not at work?
I enjoy being outdoors - riding
my snowmobile in the winter. I have
a 19-foot runabout that we take
to one of the nearby lakes, either
Pelican Lake or Cormorant Lake.

How did you get involved
with stereo equipment?
I mentioned to a friend that
current equipment doesn't sound
as good, and I happened to be
in a pawn shop and saw a set of
speakers from the 1960s or 1970s.
I bought them and started picking
up various receivers, records, and
it all snowballed. With this older
equipment, you can hear the
guitar pick hit the strings on some
records. But now the prices are
going through the roof. You can
spend $5,000 for a top-of-the-line
Pioneer receiver from 1978.

You said we; who does
that include?
That's my wife, Joan, and our
8-year-old son, Grayson. My son
is into Legos, Transformers and
Power Rangers. He can entertain
himself for hours.
How did you meet Joan?
We met in a bar. She was
working in retail at the time and
didn't care for it, so I helped her
get a job in the parts department
at Modern Aero. She now works in
the parts department at Fargo Jet
Center.
Do you have
any other hobbies?
My main hobby is vintage
stereo equipment. I collect,
refurbish and listen to old record
players, old reel-to-reel players,
mostly made in the 1970s. Vinyl
records have come back. With

What are your thoughts
on the future?
For the next few years, ADS-B
will be the driving force for
building the business. But I see
the future for me with commercial
drones, which will be used
for pipeline patrol and power
line patrol. Drones will replace
helicopters for these jobs, and I
want to be part of that. q

To learn more about Moorhead
Aviation Services, visit
mhdaviationservices.com.
avionics news

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may

2017

43
http://www.mhdaviationservices.com
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