Several elements combined for Shawn Linch to make a concerted effort to overcome his longtime fear of flying. The first was he realized he would be traveling places for the rest of his life, so it’d be best to make getting there more convenient. Second, the two locations for the granite sales and installation company he ran were based near airports. The third and final push was a pilot friend in the construction industry who persuaded him to take a flight lesson.
That introductory flight in 2014 laid the groundwork, and flying has since afforded Shawn numerous noteworthy opportunities personally and professionally. “I knew that I was going to be addicted after the first flight,” he said. While training in the school’s Cessna 172 to finish his PPL, Shawn earnestly went ahead and prepared for the next step: aircraft ownership. Having quickly overcome his fears and fallen in love with flying, he expected it would become a big part of his life. So, he purchased a 2006 Cirrus SR22T to support business and leisure trips.
Regardless of the flight mission, aircraft ownership greatly supports Shawn’s personal mantra: “Be kind and do epic.” And as this motto applies to him and his life, he defines “epic” as, “Taking something to the next level…going out of your comfort zone makes you work a little harder to get something, which in turn makes it that much more rewarding.”
Today, Shawn owns a TBM 700B. For the past three years, his 2001 TBM has allowed him to expand his comfort zone and piloting skills in several ways. The biggest being the nearly two dozen countries he has personally flown to as pilot in command. The list includes The Bahamas, France, Spain, Iceland, Czech Republic, Greenland, Sweden, Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, as well others in the Caribbean, Central America and Europe. Perhaps the most special on the growing list is Northern Ireland, where he and his wife, Margaret, got married last year after flying there in the TBM.
Trips such as these were at the forefront of Shawn’s mind as he considered moving up from his prior airplane: a 2006 Piper Meridian (PA-46-500TP). He said, “The Meridian was a great plane for me. It was economical and easy to fly. But it was range limited, and I knew that I wanted to fly longer legs and reliably across the pond with more comfortable fuel margins. The TBM allows me to save a fuel stop going coast to coast from the Meridian.”
So, with the primary goal of increasing his mission’s range, including adding frequent trips across the Atlantic, he weighed several different models. The two leading forerunners were the Cessna Citation Mustang and the TBM 850. But as luck would have it, another model became a viable possibility. With a new paint job, updated interior and recently installed Garmin G600 avionics (with Dual 750s), TBM serial number 202 was an attractive third option for Linch. These key features, coupled with a lower acquisition cost, made purchasing the 700B an easy decision.
Shawn has a lot of good things to say about the airplane that he has flown for three years. But he said the best way to explain his overall sentiment is through the words of a fellow TBMOPA (TBM Owners and Pilots Association) member in a forum post: “[Compared to new TBMs], the TBM 700 series is 80 percent of the plane at 25 percent of the price.”
Shawn flies around 350 hours per year, with roughly 50 percent of his trips for business. He sold the granite company in 2016 and currently focuses on real estate investing. Existing and potential investments are spread across the country, from Biloxi to Seattle to Atlanta, with his home base being Reno/Tahoe International Airport (KRNO). During the longer trips, he will typically fly at FL280 and cruise at approximately 280 to 290 knots, seeing a 55 gallon per hour fuel flow. “It checks all of the boxes for me – range, speed and payload,” Linch said.
Typically, on personal flights, it will just be Shawn, his wife, their Pomeranian mix (Lucy), and occasionally some friends. They fly to a variety of destinations within the United States and abroad. With the 700B’s competitive landing distance, Shawn has been able to fly to multiple destinations his previous airplanes wouldn’t be able to reach easily. He explained, “The TBM is an amazing airplane for hot, high and short fields. In addition, it can carry a good payload for trips 800 nm and below.”
Now commanding a 700 shp PT6A-64, Shawn is afforded several benefits compared to his previous bird, including 30 additional knots (max cruise), 250 lbs additional payload (on an 800 nm trip), and 418 nm more of range. Characteristics like these allow the adventure-seeking pilot to continue striving for “epicness.”
With that in mind, he encourages fellow aviators to challenge themselves within the cockpit just as he aims to do whenever possible. “Flying to foreign countries, and especially crossing the Atlantic, can seem pretty overwhelming at first. It definitely did for me. But in reality, all it takes is a little more preparation and planning, and you can make it happen. And once you arrive at your destination, it makes the experience so much more fulfilling.”
After receiving his PPL, Shawn added his instrument rating and commercial certificate, as well as single-engine sea and rotorcraft-helicopter privileges. One of his favorite ways to enjoy aviation outside of the TBM cockpit is in his experimental 2018 CubCrafters Carbon Cub FX3. He purchased the aircraft from CubCrafters in Anchorage, Alaska. And what better way to get an in-depth indoctrination with a new plane and how it flies than to take it on a long cross-country. So, in 2019, Shawn packed up and set off on a nearly 2,000 nautical mile, 30-flight hour journey down the Western Coast of the country to his home in Lake Tahoe, California. He has been known to make similarly long trips with the aircraft in search of new backcountry flying opportunities such as Canada, Montana, and Idaho.
“There is nothing in this world like flying low and slow in a Cub. We have a home in Lake Tahoe, and in the summer, the Cub is on amphibs and parked at our dock so I can hop in and fly around in some of the most beautiful scenery that this world has to offer, especially on floats!” He also owns a Robinson R44 II helicopter, allowing him to further see and enjoy the world-class scenery of his home region from another vantage point.
In addition to routine flying for real estate ventures and personal pleasure, another way Shawn keeps sharp in the cockpit is offering his time and TBM in support of several volunteer organizations like Pilots N Paws and Angel Flight West. Flying for these groups helps fulfill his mantra’s “be kind” portion. He hopes to one day combine his thirst for adventure and giving back by an around-the-world flight and fundraiser for Angel Flight West. But this is on hold until the pandemic calms and more countries begin accepting visitors. In the meantime, Shawn will continue to travel to international countries welcoming private aviation during the unique times.
Overall, the TBM 700B has treated the adventure-seeking pilot very well thus far. Shawn has no present intention of moving into another aircraft. But if he decides to go for something else, he plans on staying within the family and trading for a 900-series TBM. This would be a step up of around 40 knots (on top of other factors), plus help solve the continued work of maintaining an out-of-warranty aircraft. In owning and operating a 20-year-old plane, maintenance can occasionally be a thorn in the side. But Shawn noted that he has never had an AOG event. He added, “Stellar Avion, the maintenance facility I use in Camarillo, California, is top-notch and provides a personal level of service unlike any other I’ve found in aviation.”