Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 16

FIVE QUESTIONS

BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER

KYLE BUSHMAN
AIRPLANE WHISPERER

WE'D LIKE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR DISCOV-

MIKE FIZER

ering Kyle Bushman in his Oregon
habitat (see " Beauty or the Beast, " June
2020 AOPA Pilot), but the truth is that
long before AOPA met this young entrepreneur, he was making his name known
in aviation circles, especially in the world
of backcountry flying. Bushman started
his Ragwood Refactory in Creswell,
Oregon-after inheriting the company
name and learning the business from
owner Tim Talen-when he was just 25
years old. Bushman has an affinity for
restoring-and reimagining-aircraft,
made visible in unique restorations
such as the Piper PA-14 and Cessna 175
featured in AOPA Pilot. He continues to
tinker, tamper, and tailor aircraft to suit
owners, their needs, and their environments. His Facebook page is replete with
amazing new projects, new ideas, and
novel approaches to restoring aircraft.
We called him an " airplane whisperer "
and if anyone can transform a wayward
aircraft into a show-stopping example of
innovation, it's Kyle Bushman.

16

FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

How did you get started in aviation?
My start in aviation scaled out of the RC
model world as a child. I would build
models with my grandfather on the
weekends and we would take them out
to a grass area next to his office and fly
them. It made for many great stories and
adventures, crashing and losing airplanes
around that area. As the models got
bigger, one day my grandfather said why
not head down to the airport and take a
discovery flight? The rest is history. 
What were your biggest challenges?
My biggest challenge in aviation was
life. At first it seemed like everything got
in the way. Learning can be stressful,
and if you don't keep a good mindset, it
can be not fun. When it becomes not fun
you are going to have a million things
that get in the way and prevent you
from going out to the airport. A million
reasons why you shouldn't fly today. But
if things remain fun you will always find
the time. Even the challenging things
that don't seem fun, you have to figure
out a way to look at them in a fun way.
When flying became fun it all changed
for me. Now you can't keep me out of an
airplane. Seems overly simple, but that
challenge of keeping it fun through the
learning phase was the game changer
for me. 

What is your favorite aircraft? At this
moment in time it's the 7AC Champ
I recently bought. It's such a simple
airplane. Very affordable to operate. I
can throw the keys to my friends and let
them fly it. Seeing the enjoyment they
get out of that, is really starting to make
it my favorite airplane.
What is your favorite aviation activity? STOL flying. Seeing the explosion of
the sport. Being on the STOL drag team
and bringing STOL drag racing to different places has been just about the most
fun I have had around airplanes. 
Do you have any advice for new
pilots? Build a community of likeminded people in aviation. That can be
on social media, at the airport, over the
phone. The community will push you to
explore and try new things. My community is made up of pilots, nonpilots
interested in aviation, all the way to
10,000-hour pilots. Hearing and trading
stories in that community keeps the fire
alive for me. That community in aviation
becomes a very powerful tool for you to
grow your aviation life. 
julie.walker@aopa.org
Flight Training - January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2021
