I went out to visit Double M Aviation a couple of months ago for this project. It was windy, cold, and rainy. Audrey Baxcajay pulled up beside me with a smile on her face. She led me through a secured gate and in to the hanger.


Audrey helps keeps the place running smoothly.  She has been around aviation most of her life and has a real love for it.

• Who owns Double M Aviation?
  Mike Naab is the sole owner of Double M Aviation
• 
  How did you meet and how long have you known each other?
  We started working together about seven years ago at an aircraft repair station
  at the Bartow Airbase.
• 
  Why Aviation?
  Mike has been in aviation since he was 19. He started out washing airplanes and
  cleaning up the shop and eventually earned his Airframe & Powerplant license,
  Inspector's Authorization, and his Private Pilot's License. He had always known
  he wanted to have his own shop, and last year all the pieces of the puzzle came
  together to make that a reality.
  For myself, I never planned to work in aviation. I grew up flying in gliders
  with my granddad, but never really considered it as a career choice. Then I
  found myself in college with no idea what I wanted to do. Airplanes were cool
  and something I knew a little bit about already, so I figured why not. Since
  then I feel like I've really found my niche and I love what I do.
• What services do you offer your clients?
• Our slogan is "Aircraft Maintenance with No Excuses" and I think that really sums it up. People don't buy airplanes for them to sit in a hangar, they buy them to fly. Our goal is to keep the airplanes safe with as little down time as possible. We work on anything from small single engine aircraft, up to larger twin engine turboprops, and can do anything from oxygen service to removing and reinstalling an engine after overhaul.We have also had the privilege of partnering with Mac Avionics. They are located in the same hangar, which provides a unique benefit to our customers. Through this partnership we are able to offer avionics installations and repair in addition to aircraft maintenance without the hassle of moving the airplane from one location to another. Since we started last year it has been phenomenal seeing the different businesses working together to provide a complete maintenance solution to aircraft owners.
• Do you participate in American Express' Shop Small Campaign? If no, skip the
  next question.
  No
  
  What would you like to tell your customers and the community about you, your
  business, and/or small businesses in general?
• As with a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for. Small businesses aren't always the cheapest game in town, but when you consider the value you get dollar for dollar, we're worth it. At Double M Aviation we value the relationships we are creating with the aircraft owners and the airplanes. Every time an airplane comes back through our hangar we learn a little bit more about it and the pilot flying it. Over time, we are able to establish a relationship of trust, that allows us to provide a higher level of customer service and safety. From my experience as an individual trying to shop locally, I've found that the attitude of "relationship first" is a common thread among small businesses. Small businesses might not always be able to compete with the prices of name-brand stores, but we can provide something they can't. We can provide quality service that's as unique as you are. We're confident that once you've seen the difference personalized service makes, you'll never want to sacrifice quality for cost again.