Aviation Masters, Episode 5 | Bruce Landsberg, Former NTSB Vice Chairman When the NTSB’s former Vice Chairman sits down with one of general aviation’s most respected A&P/IAs, the conversation doesn’t stay polite for long. Mike Busch and Bruce...
When the owner of a Piper PA-46—who we’ll call Dave—received notice that his annual inspection was due, he didn’t yet have a shop lined up. He wanted Savvy involved from the very beginning. He also asked whether Savvy could review his engine-monitor data...
If you look through your logbook, there’s probably an expression with the word “seat” to describe many of your flights. A ringside seat. The hot seat. Left seat. Right seat. The catbird seat. Best seat in the house. A nosebleed seat. Ok, I’ll...
Personal aviation is facing an existential crisis. I don’t use that phrase lightly. After decades spent managing maintenance, troubleshooting squawks, advising owners, analyzing failure data, and working with hundreds of maintenance shops and thousands of...
Aviation Masters | Episode 4 There is a gap between what artificial intelligence can do today and what most piston aircraft owners believe it can do. On one side of that gap: decades of engine monitor data sitting unanalyzed on hard drives, mechanics...
Savvy Aviation is proud to announce that its CEO and Founder, Mike Busch A&P/IA, has been honored with the 2026 Richard G. McSpadden General Aviation Safety Award by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). The award was presented on March 17, 2026, at a...
One recent day a series of engine data from a Piper Turbo Saratoga showed up for analysis as part of a prebuy examination. With regular (non-prebuy) analysis we’re looking for things that need fixing and in the case of a pre-annual test profile we’re...
Aging Aircraft, Unleaded Fuel, Certification Gridlock, and What Owners Should Do Now General aviation doesn’t face just one challenge. It faces several: aging materials, fuel transition uncertainty, certification gridlock, and mounting pressure on the piston parts...
Here’s a story that should sound familiar. The names have been changed to protect the complicit. The time has come for Bill to put his Bonanza in the shop for its annual ordeal. Manny, one of the A&P mechanics, and Tom, his trainee who is building the hours to...
During maintenance on his Piper Aerostar 602P, an aircraft owner—who we’ll call Paul—was told that eight windows showed signs of crazing and would need to be replaced immediately, at a cost exceeding $30,000. Unsure whether such an expensive repair was truly...
