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The view: Climbing out of Spirit of St. Louis Airport
The pilot: Rick Kennett
The airplane: Cessna 340A
The mission: Finally getting to go home after waiting for the weather to pass.
The memory: Every time I looked out the window at the FBO, nothing but black clouds and lightning. Then finally, a rainbow and some sunshine! This rainbow followed us (or maybe we followed it) from takeoff until we were safely out of the area and on our way home.
Rick Kennett was born in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation and the home of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. After an unsuccessful run at becoming a rock star in the eighties, he decided to finally cut his hair and go to work in the family business. Today he is the CEO and president of the same family business, a finance company and car lot, located in Piqua, Ohio. Somehow, he was able to convince key members of the family business to buy an airplane and then volunteered to be the company pilot for no more salary than what they were already paying him. This paid big dividends in his piloting experience and rating collection. Although the days of a company airplane are long gone, Rick still flies the occasional trip, via contract pilot services, to a handful of buddies who own airplanes, but have no idea how to fly them. A Commercial, Multi, Instrument rated pilot with 2,000+ hours, he has time in the Aztec, Navajo, Cessna 340, and the Cessna Conquest.
Latest posts by Rick Kennett (see all)
- Friday Photo: chasing the rainbow - September 6, 2019
- Aviation addiction syndrome – it could happen to you - September 6, 2018
Love it. Those flat nacelles and tip tanks still look sexy on the 310s and 340s.