Avionics News April 2018 - 57

succeed with people and in this business.
It's been very informative, and I find it
extremely helpful. As human behaviors
go, the more modern society becomes,
the less people rely on their instincts -
they rely more on what they see and hear
than what they sense.
This book makes it clear that it's a
God-given gift to be able to trust yourself
and your inner wisdom. You have to
appreciate and embrace that ability.
Sometimes, there is no better voice than
in your mind. There's a clear difference
between instincts and impulse. Impulses
can be of passion, greed or anything -
and you must be able to discern between
that and a good understanding of your
instincts.
Running an avionics business is
more than knowing complex systems.
It's been 18 years since I struck out on
my own with a wife, four kids and a
mortgage - all relying on me to get this
right. It's been quite a ride and very
fulfilling. We have some of the greatest
people here, and I truly look forward
to coming to work every day. In past
jobs, I've always loved what I did; I
just didn't love where I was doing it.
I now have the chance to create a
great environment for myself and my
team. There always seems to be a lot of
pressure on me, but it's also rewarding
to see the great success from our team
as they enjoy their jobs and are glad to
be here. My magic formula is striving
to be a respectable person by following
my intellect and listen to make the best
decisions possible.

That is my biggest challenge.
It's all kinds of work right now:
ADS-B, autopilots, panel mods, Garmin
GTNs - nothing specific, just some of
everything. Some are repeat customers
who need the ADS-B upgrade added to
what I've installed before, and others are
new customers. When they call and want
a quote, I first tell them what the lead
time is. Some say they can't wait and
will go somewhere else - I can't blame
them. Others say OK, just put me on the
calendar.
All I can do is put them on the list. I'm
trying to get some more help in here. I
want to have two new techs working soon.
That will help. So if there's anything I
worry about, it's sticking to that schedule
- my customers rely on that. One slip and
it all can get pushed back. Customers are
eager to come in ahead of schedule, but
they don't like delays.

How do you handle it?
I've learned to be more generous in
my time allotment for each job when
scheduling work. Weather sometimes can
delay when a customer can drop off or
pick up an airplane. Customers sometimes
want to add to the project when they drop
off their planes. I also try to keep certain
equipment in stock. I have seen some
long lead times for equipment in the past.
I need to work repairs into the
schedule, too. We have customers
coming in with broken avionics
that need to be fixed. Others need
IFR certifications - that can't
wait. I've also corrected several
ADS-B programming problems for
installations that were done elsewhere.
It's not hard - it just takes time. Time
is something I don't have a lot of, and
I just tell myself that I can't fix every
airplane in the country. q

► Trevor Smith, owner of
Tech Aero Avionics
What keeps me up at night is that I
have a calendar filled with work that
I've committed to months in advance.
The backlog has been steadily
growing. Two years ago, I was booked
out three months. It was six months
at the beginning of this year, and now
it's 11 months. I'm trying to keep up
with the schedule that I have planned.
avionics news

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april

2018

57
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