AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 68
has stopped working, and the manager needs a new circuit board to continue production. Dillard, vice president of manufacturing and engineering for the T.J. Snow Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, offers to deliver the needed part in the company’s Beechcraft Bonanza. When he lands at the small public airport several hours later, just a few miles from the plant, Dillard sees a plume of dust pushing a pickup truck in the distance. Minutes later the plant manager stops the truck on the ramp and says, “You flew here in that? I didn’t even know this airport was here...and I live here!” Saving the day “You get to be a hero,” Dillard says. “Our airplane allows us to save the day for a lot of people, and that’s a great feeling.” The T.J. Snow Company Inc. is a 68-employee welding supply and service company with a big reputation. Of all the tools the company uses to sell and repair industrial resistance welders, its airplane is the most prized. The workhorse is a 1987 Bonanza A36, which Snow owns and operates for service calls, preengineering meetings, and on-location training. When the Mississippi plant manager called T.J. Snow to ask if the company had a certain circuit board in stock, Dillard confirmed it did and offered to ship the part overnight. That wasn’t going to work; the manager needed that circuit board immediately. Flying the Bonanza to hand-deliver the board gave Dillard— and the T.J. Snow Company—a chance to create a new loyal customer. Started April 1, 1963, by Jim Snow, the firm specializes in designing and building custom resistance welders used by companies that produce parts for a variety of industries. For example, a company may be contracted to build exhaust pieces to certain specifications for an automobile manufacturer. The company will hire T.J. Snow to engineer and build a welder that will weld those exhaust parts. In fact, the automotive industry accounts for 60 percent of T.J. Snow’s business. Aviation buffs Jim Snow always loved aviation. At a young age he accumulated enough flight time to solo a Piper J–3 Cub, but he never could hope to complete his training because of an eye injury he suffered as a boy. However, he passed that love of flying along to his son, Tom, the company’s current CEO.
“The use of the airplane has enhanced our status with our customers.”
—James Dillard, vice president
Randy Darby (left) and James Dillard load the Bonanza with equipment used for a typical service call.
AOPA PILOT •
68 • MAY 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
Rally GA: Creating Media Moguls
Pimp My Plane
Bellanca CH–300 Pacemaker: Island King
GA Serves America: Tennessee Time Machine
Safety Pilot Landmark Accidents: A Foregone Conclusion
Touching the Future
Avionics: Something In Between
Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: The Inside Job
Dogfight: Running Lean of Peak
Sales Revival
Wx Watch: Checking the Weather
Pilot Products: New Zulu for You
Never Again
Fly Outs
Fly by wire
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Rally GA: Creating Media Moguls
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - G1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - G2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - G3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - G4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Pimp My Plane
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Bellanca CH–300 Pacemaker: Island King
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - GA Serves America: Tennessee Time Machine
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Safety Pilot Landmark Accidents: A Foregone Conclusion
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Touching the Future
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Avionics: Something In Between
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: The Inside Job
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Dogfight: Running Lean of Peak
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Sales Revival
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Wx Watch: Checking the Weather
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - I1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - I2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Pilot Products: New Zulu for You
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Fly Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Fly by wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2011 - Cover4
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