Savvy has assembled the most experienced, seasoned and talented team of general aviation maintenance experts in the industry:
Mike Busch A&P/IA (founder/CEO) is a renowned aviation writer, teacher, aviation type club tech rep, aircraft owner advocate, and entrepreneur. For more than two decades, Mike has been assisting aircraft owners with their maintenance problems through his work with the Cessna Pilots Association, the American Bonanza Society, and the Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association. He co-founded AVweb in 1995 and served as its editor-in-chief for more than 7 years. Mike was honored by the FAA as “National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year” for 2008.
- Tony Barrell A&P/IA (account manager) has been involved in GA maintenance for nearly 30 years. Before joining Savvy, Tony was employed by Ohio State University Airport at their superb maintenance facility for 25 years, and managed the shop for 15 years. He has experience maintaining a broad range of GA airplanes, including extensive experience with Cirrus aircraft, having built his shop at OSU into the finest Cirrus Service Center in the region.
- Clay Caessens A&P (avionics guru) owned and operated Blue Angel Aviation & Avionics in Pensacola, Florida, the premier avionics repair station in the Florida panhandle for almost 20 years. Clay has decades of experience troubleshooting, repairing and installing a broad range of avionics in both legacy and technically advanced aircraft. He is factory trained and qualified on glass cockpit systems from Aspen, Avidyne, Bendix-King and Garmin (among others).
- Tom Cooper A&P/IA (account manager) has been maintaining GA aircraft for over 20 years. Tom served as Director of Maintenance of Southeast Aero Services, a large Cirrus Service Center in St. Augustine, Florida. He now owns and operates Mustang Aero Corp. in DeLand, Florida.
- Al Hawthorne A&P/IA (account manager) has more than two decades of GA maintenance experience. Before joining the Savvy team, Al served as Director of Maintenance for Woodland Aviation, a large Beech, Cessna and Cirrus service center in Northern California, and also as northwest regional technical support manager for Cirrus Aircraft.
- Jeff Iskierka A&P/IA (director of technical services) spent a decade as Director of Maintenance of Twin Cities Aviation in Minneapolis before joining Savvy on a full-time basis as its most senior account manager, and then being promoted to director of technical services. Jeff is a nationally known Cirrus expert, having been immersed in Cirrus maintenance since 1999.
- Phil Kirkham A&P/IA (account manager) owns and operates a Coastal Valley Aviation in California, has three decades of GA maintenance experience, and is a nationally known expert on Beech, Cessna, Cirrus, Mooney and Piper maintenance.
- Paul New A&P/IA (account manager) owns and operates Tennessee Aircraft Services, serves as a technical representative and instructor for the Cessna Pilots Association, and is a nationally known maintenance expert specializing in structural repair. He is factory trained on the Columbia/Cessna 300/350/400 and G-1000. Paul is the FAA’s “National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year” honoree for 2007, and is an FAA-designated airworthiness representative (DAR).
- Eric Svelmoe A&P/IA (account manager) has been active in aviation maintenance for 30 years, and has experience maintaining a broad range of GA aircraft. Prior to joining Savvy, Eric served as chief inspector for a large Cirrus Service Center in Oregon, and is factory trained in all aspects of Cirrus maintenance. He is a commercial, instrument-rated pilot for both single and multiengine airplanes, and also a CFI.
Assisting this incomparable technical team is Savvy's superb support staff:
- Ann Devers (manager of operations) is in charge of the non-technical aspects of Savvy's maintenance management services, including aircraft maintenance records, client and service center support services, contracts, insurance, and numerous other administrative responsibilities.
- Joe Godfrey (manager of sales & marketing) is responsible for Savvy's sales, publicity, advertising, media and promotion activities. Joe is a multi-talented -- composer, musician, educator, writer and pilot -- and is academic director of the Audio Production and Web Design & Interactive Media programs at the Art Institute of California in San Diego.
- Doug Griffith, Attorney at Law (corporate counsel) handles Savvy's legal affairs, including risk management, contractual matters, and insurance. Doug holds both a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School. He has a long history practicing aviation law, with a special emphasis on maintenance-related litigation.
- Chris Wrather Ph.D./A&P (director of business development) is a member of Savvy's board of directors, and serves as chief business adviser and counselor. Chris is responsible both for analyzing Savvy's current business operations and for masterminding its future business activities. Chris has decades of experience in top management roles and major corporate board positions. He holds a doctorate in Operations Research and is a longtime pilot, aircraft owner and A&P mechanic.
There is simply no other general aviation maintenance organization capable of bringing this amount of experience and expertise to the maintenance of owner-flown general aviation aircraft.
Next: Frequently-asked questions.