If you’ve ever been to our shop, chances are you’ve run into Mike Bilby. Mike is one of our technicians bringing to the table a wealth of passion, expertise, and experience on which our clients rely.

Mike’s story began 25 years ago with small aircraft. First it was Raytheon’s avionics wire shop and the 1900D assembly line. Then, over to Cessna where he joined the Citation Jet, Bravo, and Ultra Flight Line teams. As part of the buildup program for the Citation Excel, CJ1, CJ2, and the Ultra/Encore programs, Mike learned a great deal about aircraft flight testing, new aircraft model creation, and certification.

From there, Mike made the move to bigger aircraft. At Goodrich, he worked on full avionics and interior modifications on Bombardier CRJ’s and Boeing BBJ’s, and cabin monitor mods on 777’s. He even spent years working with military aircraft – first on reconnaissance aircraft for the 3rd MI Battalion as part of the aircraft’s mission essential crew and ultimately as a regional avionics tech for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Embassy King Air’s in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

After many years overseas, Mike returned to where it all started, rejoining Cessna as part of the buildup team for the Citation Mustang. It was there that he was trained to pay attention to the cosmetic details that Cessna’s customers were having issues with and was trained as an Aircraft Delivery Specialist on how to evaluate paint and fit and finish issues that had plagued their Jet deliveries for years.

During the latter part of his tour of duty, Mike took on Avionics Manager roles for Intercontinental Jet in Tulsa, Okla., Aero Services Center in Santa Fe, N.M., and with Starport Aviation in Sanford, Fla., before finally making the move to Southern California to work with Leading Edge Avionics – a place he’s happy to now call home.

Mike is married and has two children plus a stepson who is also an avionics technician. Guess it runs in the family! Stop by and say hi to Mike any time.