Page 29 - Feb22T

Owner’s
Shawn and Margaret Linch
Corner
From Fear to Epic Heights
2001 TBM 700B
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 travel-
ing 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
February 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 27