Avionics News September 2014 - 38

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Drew Brown of

Tell me about
Absolute Aviation.
I started Absolute Aviation
two years ago and had to
build our repair station from
the ground up. There was no
certification, no equipment
and no place to call home.
I'd been working on avionics
for 10 years and finally got
up my nerve, with my wife's
financial backing, to start my
own company. Then a year
later, I got the certification as
a repair station.
water sports away from
Drew Brown (left) enjoys

A

aviation.

bsolute Aviation offers a
variety of avionics services
that the company described as
flexible, inexpensive and mobile. The
company's services currently include:
troubleshooting and repair of existing
equipment; installation of new and
used avionics equipment; design and
fabrication of instrument panels; pitotstatic and transponder certifications
required by 14 CFR 91.411 and 91.413;
and flight instruction by FAA-certified
flight instructors on new equipment
to ensure a comfortable efficient
transition in flying behind new
equipment.
Recently, Patricia Luebke, Avionics
News contributor, spoke with Drew
Brown about his company and life
outside of work.
38

avionics news

*

september

2014

With...

How did you choose
the name?

My background is in aviation.
I started with flying, got into the
maintenance portion and then
into avionics. With all the different
aspects of aviation, I wanted a
name that would suit all aspects of
aviation.

Right now, you're the
owner and sole employee;
yet you use accountable
manager for a title. Why?

The title was given to me by the
Federal Aviation Administration.
Whoever is responsible for the repair
station is the accountable manager,
so I stuck with that title. Plus, as the
only employee, I'm accountable for
everything.

Absolute Aviation

Can you describe a
typical day?

Honestly, when you own a
business, there is no typical
day. Whenever the phone rings,
whenever someone has requested
work - repairs, installation,
troubleshooting - your day can
change. Sometimes I'm even asked
to go pick up an airplane or do
flight training. I try to find any way
possible to never say no.

Is there one aspect of
your business you like
better than another?

I like the idea that I can branch
out and do an avionics installation
and do flight training - on any given
day, I can do any of those functions.
It's just me right now, and I have a
small T-hangar in Edgewater, Florida.
The name of the airport is Massey
Ranch; it's a small airpark, but it's
good for a new business to have
the least overhead. I also have an
enclosed trailer for mobility where I
can transport testing equipment and
shop supplies when we travel around
to different airports to do work. I've
gone as far north as Baltimore and as
far south as Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A lot of larger aircraft operators -
especially helicopter operators - find
it cost-effective for me to come to
them and do the work. We were able
to write that into our repair station
certification, so I am now able to
complete work through the repair
station all over the U.S. I always try to
keep every door open, and there are
many possibilities.
Avionics News September 2014

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