If we trace John Linson’s inspiration when creating epic television programs, we might expect to see a blockbuster series set in the world of aviation on the small screen sometime soon.
Linson, 55, is a co-founder of Linson Entertainment with his partner and father, Art. Most recently, he is responsible for co-creating hit shows based on his interest in motorcycles (“Sons of Anarchy”) and his experience living in a ranching community (“Yellowstone”).
His latest obsession and cultural study is general aviation, specifically becoming a pilot and coordinating the complete refurbishment of LA-20, a 1980 Beechcraft King Air F90 he’s owned for two years.
Taking Flight
Linson began his career producing music videos in the 1990s for bands Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses and producing films including “Great Expectations” (1998), “Lords of Dogtown” (2005) and “The Runaways” (2010) before earning co-creator and executive producer credits with “Sons of Anarchy” and “Yellowstone.”
Even if you’re a fan of any of the above, you still may not have heard of him. Born in Los Angeles, he’s a self-described behind-the-scenes kind of guy who you won’t see on the red carpet or giving interviews. He made an exception for King Air magazine because he’s “obsessed with flying” and is enamored with the aviation community.
“I got into flying because I lived two hours from LA in the Santa Ynez Valley,” he said. “I was driving two hours each way between work in LA and another home in Santa Monica for about 15 years.”
He’d thought about learning to fly for several years, though what finally convinced him was a hunting trip to Texas a little over a decade ago where his hosts transported guests via helicopter.
“The utility of it was so incredible,” Linson said. “I thought, ‘I’m gonna do this.’ I called my assistant while still on that trip, and he found a flight instructor for me in Santa Ynez. The minute I got home, I started flying and flew for a straight year. I dig helicopters but if I was going to do this, I wanted to fly something that could go a little farther.”
Linson bought a 1981 Beechcraft Bonanza F33A in 2014 before he’d earned his private pilot certificate. He managed a complete refurbishment of that aircraft and flew it for about eight years. Most of his trips were in the western U.S., ranging from meeting with writers and other industry folks to setting up filming locations in Montana and Utah for “Yellowstone.” His son, Sky, was born during this time, and the advantage of flying himself became even more valuable.
“I had a new son so being able to fly myself back and forth from set location started to matter a lot to me,” he said. “The utility and the ease of being able to fly into these little airports was amazing, and everyone at the FBOs was so polite. It brought flying back into a good space for me after flying commercial for so many years was unpleasant.”
Moving Up to LA-20
Eventually, Linson wanted more room for passengers, pressurization, two engines and the ability to fly higher among the mountainous terrain he often encounters. He purchased the 1980 King Air F90 in 2022 from Mike Fell, a friend and former Delta Air Lines captain who was operating the airplane in Alaska while also running a helicopter business. It was a low-time airplane (6,100 hours), came with a good lineage and satisfied Linson’s penchant for uniqueness.
“An interesting thing about this airplane is that it’s serial number LA-20, and when you look at the King Air manuals you’ll see ‘except LA-20’ in several places,” Linson said. “I believe this was a test airplane of some kind for the F90-1 [introduced in 1983] so it’s a special airplane.”
He added: “I think the F90 is the most beautiful King Air they make. I love the look of the shorter wing and that T-tail.”
Linson wanted to make LA-20 his own, modernizing the aircraft’s technology and its look inside and out. The day he acquired the aircraft, he and Fell flew it from Alaska to Wichita, Kansas, where Jay Prideaux painted it to match the custom paint scheme Linson had done on his Bonanza. It features a Beech shield on the tail and gold leaf lettering on the N number. “That’s an ode to my old motorcycle days,” said Linson, who has a sizable collection of vintage bikes.
Interiors were also done in Wichita, including new tables, carpet, sidewalls, B300-style seats in the cabin and B200 pilot seats. “I got it back and flew it for six to eight months, getting my multi-engine and instrument ratings and taking my IFR exam in the plane,” Linson said. “Then, I sent it off for an avionics upgrade including the first Garmin GFC 600 digital autopilot in an F90.”
Once Don Dominguez of San Luis Avionics in San Luis Obispo, California, finished installing the all-glass Garmin flight suite in May 2024, Linson took some time to get comfortable with the aircraft close to home. He flew daily flights with his flight instructor, Jeff Millard, who is also a charter pilot and has become a friend of Linson’s.
“I’d never flown on a glass panel before so it was daunting for a minute,” he said. “I was wondering if maybe I had made a mistake, but now I feel like I could never go back. It’s been amazing.”
By July, Linson felt ready to set out on a long trip in the King Air. With Fell alongside, he used the time to scout locations and environments for possible production projects.
They covered 5,636 nautical miles in eight days from his home hangar at Camarillo Airport (KCMA) with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, Florida; Turks & Caicos; Eleuthera, Bahamas; and Hobbs, New Mexico. They skirted behind a hurricane one day and another day finished a 1,200 nautical mile stretch from St. Petersburg to Hobbs with an hour of fuel remaining.
“The plane flew incredibly well with no issues,” Linson reported.
Studying the Culture
We had to ask Linson if there’s a chance we’ll see a show with an aviation storyline, given that two hit TV franchises emerged from his interests.
“I definitely think about it,” he said. “Unfortunately, when I put my hobbies into shows I’m creating, it usually makes the hobby a little less interesting to me. I don’t want to kill the joy of flying airplanes.”
He acknowledges that it will be hard to fight those instincts, though. While learning to fly at San Ynez Airport (KIZA), he felt pulled deeper into the aviation community, often joining a group of about 10 octogenarian pilots who would gather at the hangar for morning coffee. None of the group knew Linson’s name so they gave him the nickname Bro because he has a habit of referring to everyone as Bro.
“I would go and have coffee with this group nearly every day,” he said. “They were World War II and Vietnam vets, mechanics and guys who were super into aviation. There was Jim Kunkle, Sr., a pilot whose P-38 was shot down in WWII, and Charlie Plumb, whose F-4 was shot down in Vietnam where he spent six years as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton.”
From bikers to ranchers to pilots, he’s drawn to study the people and the environments that make up these subcultures.
“Sitting with these guys every day at that airport and learning about the aviation industry from them made me realize it’s a dying culture,” he said. “It was a cool entry into being a pilot for me. Sadly, most of those guys are gone now. I loved the camaraderie of hanging with them, and it was inspiring. They were the guys who led me to get the King Air.”
Linson admits there’s truth behind the saying about not turning your hobby or passion into work. Sometimes, it’s a risk he’s willing to take, though.
“I don’t want to ruin something that is very special to me. The good news is it takes a few years of being on the air before it gets completely ruined,” he said with a laugh.