AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020 - 52

"It was obvious that he was anxious to learn everything he
could about aircraft restoration and in particular, everything that
goes into running an aviation business," says Talen. "It was a rare
commodity to have someone as young as Kyle was at the time,
have great skills, a solid work ethic, and the enthusiasm inherent
in people involved in aviation." Talen says it was a simple decision
to see the Ragwood Refactory continue under Kyle's leadership.
"I learned so much at Tim's shop just by showing up and trying something new," Bushman says. "If you don't try something,
you won't have anything to do. It taught me I'll be learning for the
rest of my life."
TELL ME YOUR DREAMS

Bushman says working with Talen on restoring the handmade
antiques of yesteryear taught him to not be afraid to re-engineer
aircraft. "Tim bred in me the tube and fabric skills and the work
of painting these hand-built aircraft. And that's what it was-these

were hand-built, flying was in its infancy. They [builders of the
day] didn't know it was wrong, so they tried things."
Restoration became Bushman's passion, but as he developed
his own flying skills, the joy of backcountry flying enticed him.
"People forget to have fun," he says. "Flying is serious and we can't
take it lightly, but I think it's important to show the fun side of aviation, and that's backcountry flying."
He realized that to ensure his company's future, he needed
to look to the backcountry aircraft and offer something beyond
tube and fabric restorations. "I love making perfect aircraft and
the bread and butter of this company will always be fabric work.
To restore an aircraft is a fun thing, but a slow, rewarding process. I'm addicted to the process. I found I like saying tell me your
dream and then going through the battle with them, getting into
the trenches, for six months or two years," Bushman says. "But I'm
the young puppy dog and I want to try new things and see how to
get out of the same old mold aviation has been stuck in."

Modifications to the Cessna 175
BAS tail pull handles 

Alaskan Baby Bushwheel tailwheel 

Overhauled Continental O-470

Bubble windows on pilot and co-pilot
sides

31-inch Alaskan Bushwheels

182 style yokes, flipped over

Cessna 180 gear legs 

New Acorn Welding exhaust system
with seaplane pipe 

Added VGs to wings and tail 
Added leading edge slats 

Moved battery aft one bay 

LED landing lights 

Removed all original instruments
and replaced with more modern panel.
Center of the panel is an iPad Pro using
the BOM by Levil Aviation for AOA, GPS,
ADS-B In, pitot static source. 

Stripped everything out of interior,
repainted interior 

All new throttle, mixture, propeller
controls

Rosen visor 

New magnetos

Cleaned and inspected wings 
Painted leading edge cuff

52 | AOPA PILOT June 2020

New Macauley 88-in constant-speed
seaplane propeller 
New late-model spinner 
EDM 830 engine analyzer
Editor's note: At presstime new
Polaris RZR seats were installed in
the 175; Bushman says the aircraft is
"Basically a four-wheeler of the sky."
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2020
