Aviation Services We Trust

  • Insurance: Tom Hauge, Wings Insurance

(952) 641-3155  / thauge@wingsinsurance.com

Tom and his team have been serving the PA46, TBM, and King Air market for decades. If his team can’t get it done, it can’t be done.

 

  • Financing: Miles McCall, CBTx

(936)715-4154 | mmccall@cbtx.com

Miles is an EVP at Commercial Bank of Texas (CBTx), is a pilot, and owns an airplane. Many of the board members at CBTx are airplane owners, so this is a lender that really understand aviation.

 

  • Maintenance Wisdom: Kevin Mead

(620)728-8634

Kevin is the premier PA-46 Maintenance provider and knows more about the PA-46 fleet than anyone else.  A true gem for the PA-46 community, Kevin answers the MMOPA “Hotline” to provide maintenance assistance to MMOPA members.

 

  • Malibu Aerospace

https://www.malibuaerospace.com

These folks are real PA-46 experts.  I find myself calling them often for pre-buy inspections, maintenance advice, and general PA-46 information.

 

  • Midwest Malibu

http://midwestmalibucenter.com

Tony Beauchamp owns MWM and this one of the premier PA-46 shops in the world.  Tony does pre-buy inspections, annual inspections, and I call him often for detailed maintenance information.

 

  • Aircraft Detailing: Faithful Detailing

https://flycasey.com/aircraft-detailing/

Clay Cleaver at Faithful Detailing does an amazing job detailing airplanes of all sizes, inside and out. Whether you need just an interior cleaned or a full service detail, give them a call.

  • Aircraft Painting

(903) 284-7645

KM Aviation Aircraft Painting; Gerardo is my go-to guy for aircraft painting.  Located at KJSO, he is centrally located and is great with details.

 

  • Avionics: R.C. Avionics at KANE

http://www.rcavionics.com

These guys work closely alongside Malibu Aerospace and they’ve done 6+ jobs in the last year of which I was intimately involved. They did a super job and the projects came in under budget. Plus, they have a nice interactive website that helps aircraft owners stay in touch.

Websites & Blogs

You own a PA-46 and are not a member of the MMOPA?  Tsk, tsk, tsk…it is one of the best groups around with wonderful support for Malibu owners

 

I’m a 26+ year member of AOPA.  Membership in this organization should be considered mandatory for pilots, in my opinion.

 

Experimental Aircraft Association: This is the other organization that every pilot should join.  Super group.

 

A friend of mine, Rick Morrison, is an aviation enthusaist a really creative guy in a digital visual sort of manner.

Book Recommendations

  • Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langweish
This is one of the best flying books on the planet.  It’s dated and has terms that are no longer used regularly, but this guy was WAY ahead of his time and is spot-on in so many ways.
 
  • Chuck Yeager: An Autobiography
Chuck lives a full life and this book was one I could not put down.  It proves that a true story is almost always more interesting than fiction.
 
  • Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey
This is the book that got me off the dead-center to launch this business.  I love his wit and wisdom.
 
  • A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

Bryson is one of my favorite writers. He’s got a bunch more books that are excellent, such as One Summer, A Walk in the Park, and In a Sunburned Country, which are all excellent too. If in doubt about “what to read next”, make anything by Bryson your selection.

 
  • Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann
I love flying the North Atlantic and Gann’s story is a real page-turner if you like airplanes.
 
  • Braving the Wilderness, by Brene Brown

Brown is on the leading edge of so much, emotionally speaking. I’ve gone through a lot of personal challenges in my life, and her books always bring me back to a place of goodness in mind and thought. Incredibly relatable, you’ll love her wit and humor, but treasure the truth she speaks.

  • West with the Night by Beryl Markham

Tammie Jo Shultz told me of this book, and I enjoyed it too. If you want to read the most remarkable comment, see what Ernest Hemingway wrote about this book.

 

  • The Book of John
Yes…the one in the Bible.  If you are looking to spurn you spiritual life, reading the Book of John is a sure-fire way to kick-start your road to success.
 
  • Failure is Not an Option, by Gene Kranz

Fabulous read. This guy got a front row seat to the entire space program, and tells the story in a way that is so readable. From page one he had me hooked. If you like the movie “Apollo 13”, you’ll love this book.

 
  • The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
A WWII story that just won’t quit.  This book is probably in my “top 3″…don’t miss this one!
 
  • Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Good solid reading on why the Jews seem to always be at the top of the financial heap.  Well written, Lapin is a deep thinker and a good writer.

Equipment Recommendations

  • Aircraft Widgets

https://www.aircraftwidgets.com/liseproducts/sun-shades/2

I simply love these shades! Living in Texas, it gets REALLY hot, and I end up flying around at low altitudes doing approach after approach after approach. So, I got a set of cockpit covers for the PA46 that I bring along on just about every flight. These shades knock my interior temps to a manageable level, which is no small feat. Definitely get a set of these…

 

  • Aircraft Covers

https://www.aircraftcovers.com/general-aviation-models/piper/pa-46-malibu-jetprop

This one covers the cockpit only, and I like it a lot since the back windows in a PA-46 have shades.  It is light, durable, and helps protect that expensive windshield.