Avionics News June 2017 - 37

Illinois, to be exact. That base is
now closed. There were about
300 Marines stationed there, and
about 30 were assigned to the Navy
Intermediate Maintenance Facility.
I was one of those assigned. After
a couple of years doing box repair,
I transferred to the squadron level
working on KC-130s and UH-1Es,
being recommended for and becoming a collateral duty inspector after a
short while.
When I got out of the Marines, I
went to H&D Aviation in Terre Haute,
Indiana, to a one-man radio shop
where I was the one man. I got the
shop certified and the repair station
license. We did a lot of aircraft modifications. The sister company to H&D
worked on PT6 engines and did a crop
duster conversion that took the radial
engine off and replaced it with a PT6.
When I was caught up on the radio
work, I would assist in this modification. I learned a lot about sheet metal
work there, and I always have taken
in knowledge whenever I could. I was
there for a year and a half.
Where did you go next?
I took a job at Diamond Avionics at
Lunken Airport and worked there for
13 years on installations and repair
on both individually-owned aircraft
and the corporate aircraft on the
field. I met my wife and started our
family during this time. One day, I got
a call from someone saying they were
opening an avionics shop at Clermont

County Airport. I thought they were
nuts; there was already so much competition, so I ignored the call.
A year later, I was up for a change
and drove to Clermont County
Airport and dropped off my resume.
I got a phone call, was interviewed
and hired, and I came to work at
Cincinnati Avionics. I've been here
19 years.
What's a typical day for you?
Every day is different, and we're
mostly dealing with things that aren't
working right. That's what makes this
job great. I wouldn't like it if it were
the same work day after day. We
work on different airplanes, although
these days ADS-B is everything. We
work on a variety of small airplanes,
all individually owned. Our customers
come from all over, both locally and
from hundreds of miles away. We
specialize in single-engine, ownerflown airplanes, and they get exceptional service.
What do you like best
about your job?
The variety in the work helps
tremendously. We aren't dealing
with monthslong projects with bigger airplanes. Our longest job lasts
a month, and that's if we're doing a
major job. If I have to work late, it's
my own choice. If I'm behind, it's my
own fault. We may work a few hours
on Saturday, but we divide that up
among us.

When you're not working,
what do you do?
I am married with grown children.
My wife, Susan, is a computer programmer for a local bank. Her family is
from Cincinnati. My son, Daniel, is 23.
He graduated from the University of
Cincinnati with a teaching degree and is
currently employed at a high school in
Tiffin, Ohio, teaching social studies and
coaching football. My daughter, Kelly, is
a sophomore at UC in the nursing program and doing well. She was just hired
for a summer job at the local hospital.
Do you have any hobbies?
I enjoy photography. In high school,
I had my own dark room, and now
everything is digital. When my son was
in high school, I started taking sports
photos of all the kids on his team.
When Kelly played softball, I took her
team pictures. Even though she's been
out of high school for two years, the
girls on the softball team still contact
me to ask if I'd come take team photos.
Any plans for the summer?
We're planning what will probably
be our last family vacation with our
kids. We're going to Washington, D.C.,
for the second time as a family. I contacted our congressman and am trying
to get a tour of the White House, so
we're looking forward to that. q

To learn more about Cincinnati Avionics,
visit cincinnatiavionics.com.
avionics news

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june

2017

37
http://www.cincinnatiavionics.com
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