BEHIND THE SCENES OF A MOVIE STARRING…A BIPLANE!
Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to host a production team lead by local pilot/actor, Adam Thayer, and Producer/Director Andrew Teravskis, who were making a movie for the state of CA Stormwater Awareness Week 2019. Adam had a vision of using a biplane flying around Livermore Valley as the setup for an educational program geared towards the water runoff from CA state airports. Adam gave me a call to help him find a biplane. We hooked him up with a few options, and he chose one of our customers, Chuck Orr, and his beautiful 1977 Great Lakes 2T-1A-2. Using the Mike’s AeroClassics main hangar as the backdrop, Andrew and his team made an old-fashioned movie set, where the airplane & actors could fly along in a purposefully, deliciously cheesy kind of way! Coupled with actual flight footage, the final movie is fun! We are so grateful to have been a part of it. Check out the photos from the shoot & the final video on Vimeo!
UNIQUE CHALLENGES IN MAINTAINING AEROBATIC AIRCRAFT
The March issue of Sport Aerobatics was devoted to safety, and I was asked to write a brief article about the maintenance of aerobatic aircraft. I’m humbled to be included alongside such well-respected pilots and authors with such deep-seated knowledge of the sport. Read my article here!
BIPLANE DISPLAY AT THE LIVERMORE AIRPORT OPEN HOUSE
For the third year straight, I organized a special Biplane Display for the Livermore Open House, which was October 7 this year. We have a really diverse collection of biplanes, including a couple Christen Eagles, Pitts S-1S, S-1-11b, S1-T, S2B & S2C, a Waco UPF-7, a Stearman with a very unique paint scheme, multiple Great Lakes 2T-1A-2s, a Steen Skybolt, even a Tiger Moth!
We had a great turnout, and the biplanes were located right at the front entrance, so visitors couldn’t help but be “WOW’d” immediately! I’m so appreciative of the owners for spending time spiffing up their planes and participating in this all-day event! Check out some pics here!
LASER-FOCUSED
In July 2017, we kicked off a year-long advertising campaign in Sport Aerobatics, the official magazine of the International Aerobatic Club, to coincide with the story of a Laser restoration (“Laser-Focused” by IAC 38 Chapter members Beth Stanton & Dave Watson), a project in which Mike’s AeroClassics supplied restoration & fabric covering services. I’m very proud of what we accomplished and humbled to be part such of a fantastic team!
Read the full article here. (Reproduced with permission from the authors and the International Aerobatic Organization).
OUR CUSTOMERS, OUR FRIENDS
We are very privileged to work with many great folks and their planes. Check out some of our awesome clients…
EAA CHAPTER 663, LIVERMORE, CA
I was recently given the privilege of speaking to the members of EAA Chapter 663 (Livermore) at last Thursday’s monthly meeting. I put together a presentation, titled “Good Practices for Conducting Maintenance & Condition Inspections of Experimental Aircraft” which details some of the challenges we mechanics face when approaching a maintenance or inspection task. Additionally, I presented some of the more common errors as well as some methods you can employ to minimize errors while conducting your own maintenance. Please email me and I’ll send you a copy.
