Page 11 - Nov24

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.
Once the refurbishment of his F90 was complete, John Linson (front) embarked on a 5,636 nautical mile trip with friend Mike Fell, a former commercial airline pilot who owned LA-20 before selling it to Linson and today operates a remote Alaska helicopter operation.
NOVEMBER 2024
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 9