As everyone knows, the air show business is a constant challenge when it comes to safety. There are landmines everywhere you turn. It could be complacency by me or the team, last second requests by the air show organizer, weather challenges, media events, etc.

However, the biggest obstacle to safety on a daily basis is the mechanical health of our WHELEN EXTRA 330. As you might guess, I put a serious “hurt” on that poor little machine every time I take to the sky. In fact, I often land wondering how it stays together as I sit there in the cockpit reflecting on the brutality of what I just endured, never mind the plane.

Needless to say, we strive to make sure our plane is in perfect condition all the time. Crew Chief Matt Chapman likes to say, “There is not really much repair going on, Goulian Aerosports has more of a remove and replace mentality”.

To run the operation with this mindset takes a lot of money and support. One of our long term partners are our friends from Champion Aerospace in Liberty, SC. Champion is THE premiere manufacturer of aviation spark plugs, oil filters, and magnetos on the planet. Simply stated, they are quite literally, “the best” and we’re very honored to have them as an integral part of our air show program.

The health of our Lycoming Thunderbolt engine relies heavily on Champion products every day. Because of our friends from Champion, our Whelen EXTRA 330 is always purring “under the hood” with new parts. To our Champion friends, thanks for your support of our efforts, you guys are keeping my confidence level high and our performance level even higher. Thank you.

Check out these photos from a recent plant visit that we did in Liberty. It’s cool to see the amazing people working hard to give the general aviation world these great products. Thanks for your hard work and professionalism.

Michael