Five Questions: Mike Busch
The ‘less is more’ mechanic
How did you get started in aviation? My dad was a model airplane enthusiast—balsawood rubber-band-powered free-flight variety—and got me hooked on building and flying model airplanes when I was a kid growing up in New York. Later, between my junior and senior years at Dartmouth College, I had the opportunity to spend six months in Phoenix, Arizona, and decided that was a good opportunity to learn to fly “real” airplanes. I earned my private certificate that summer—the year was 1965—in a 1959 Cessna 150, never imagining the profound effect this would have on my life going forward.
What was your biggest challenge? Probably earning my A&P mechanic certificate. I’ve earned a number of FAA certificates during my aviation career—private, commercial, instrument, multiengine, glider, CFIA, CFII, CFIME—but the A&P was by far the most difficult and demanding.
What is your favorite aircraft? I love the Cessna Turbo 310 that I have owned, flown, and maintained for the past 30-plus years. But I think my favorite aircraft was the first one that I owned: a 1968 Cessna 182 Skylane I purchased new and flew home from Cessna’s delivery center in Wichita when I was a 24-year-old kid fresh out of college and just starting out with my first real job.
Where do you like to fly? I have always used my airplanes for serious cross-country transportation. I flew my Skylane on at least one transcontinental trip per year, and now fly my Cessna 310 on multiple transcontinental trips per year. I love the freedom my airplanes give me to explore the corners of this great nation of ours, with its unparalleled freedom of flight.
What advice do you have for aircraft owners (and future owners)? Start with a simple airplane. As a new aircraft owner, you will make lots of mistakes while you climb the ownership learning curve. The simpler the aircraft you have, the lower the tuition cost will be when you make those mistakes.
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