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Owner’s
Corner
Cajun Crawfish and a JetPROP by Grant Boyd
Mike Frugé is a lifelong oppor- tunity seeker and problem solver. By becoming a pilot and
aircraft owner, the native Louisianan further grew his international seafood logistics business that he had run for several decades.
Frugé Seafood Company is head- quartered in Branch, Louisiana, with distribution activity based in Grand Prairie, Texas. The 400 or so mile drive between the two locations became a very familiar route to Mike. He drove the five-and-a-half-hour trip at least once a week over a 15- year period. As luck would have it, his company’s distribution center is located near the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM). With general aviation traffic buzzing over his head as he pulled into the parking lot, Mike began to wonder whether flying himself for business would be a viable option.
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As the son of an ag pilot who built his own Pitts biplane by hand (without following formal plans), Mike already had some aviation background knowledge. Fascinated by his father’s aerial involvement, he initially dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. Early in the process, though, he learned that a significant hearing loss in his left ear disqualified him from a military fixed-wing cockpit, so he decided to pursue another career path.
Now considering flying again, Mike was excited about the possibilities. As a self-starter, he jumped into training and gained a commercial certificate with an instrument rating in a relatively short time. He trained in a Piper Archer, an aircraft model he ultimately decided to acquire. The airplane cut his routine travel time in half and enabled company growth almost from the start. Family tradition laid the groundwork for