# The Long Way Around: Josh Blair on Wrenching, Flying, and Coming Home to GA

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-future-in-flight-podcast-7209031/the-long-way-around-josh-blair-on-wrenching-flying-and-coming-home-to-ga
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-future-in-flight-podcast-7209031/the-long-way-around-josh-blair-on-wrenching-flying-and-coming-home-to-ga.md
Podcast: [The Future in Flight Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-future-in-flight-podcast-7209031)
Published: 2026-05-19T12:08:07+00:00
Episode link: https://futureinflight.podbean.com/e/the-long-way-around-josh-blair-on-wrenching-flying-and-coming-home-to-ga/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/guvmxa9iu2hq32kp/LONG_FORM_Josh_Blair6v4ls.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-future-in-flight-podcast-7209031/episodes/the-long-way-around-josh-blair-on-wrenching-flying-and-coming-home-to-ga
Duration seconds: 1899

## Resource

🗒️ Summary What does it look like to build a life in aviation from the ground up — literally? In this episode, Shawn sits down with Josh Blair, founder of BlairCraft and a multi-rated A&P/IA with one of the most diverse resumes in general aviation. From soloing at 16 out of a small Southern Ohio FBO to hanging engines on Boeing 767s, running turbine R&D programs at the University of Notre Dame, and now restoring tube-and-fabric classics in Northern Indiana — Josh has done it all, and he's just getting started. Josh talks about the attention to detail he developed restoring his first car at 14, how that mindset carried directly into aviation maintenance, and why he took a $30,000 pay cut to get back to the airport he loves. He shares his passion for backcountry and STOL flying, his growing YouTube channel BlairCraft, and the big projects on the horizon — including a PA-16 Clipper hot rod and a ground-up restoration of a 1967 Mooney M20E. Oh, and there's a runway being carved out of the Indiana countryside. With an excavator. That he bought himself. If you've ever wondered whether the unconventional path can still lead somewhere great in aviation, Josh Blair is your answer. 🔑 Key Points Attention to detail starts early. Josh restored his first car — a 1989 Firebird — at 14 years old, clear-coating under the hood and finishing it by his 16th birthday. That same mindset became the foundation of his approach to aircraft maintenance. A local airport changes everything. Josh's first W-2 job was at PMH (Portsmouth Municipal, Southern Ohio), just seven minutes from his house. He soloed at 16 and had his private certificate ready by his 17th birthday. The unconventional path is still a valid path. Josh spent time in food production maintenance at General Mills before a f…

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## Transcript

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