October 2016

October 1st, 2016
by Lana Joy Hatmaker

It’s been a busy month for all of at Avsource with the recent passing of our Patriarch and founder, Barry Hicks. It was so good to see so many of his friends and colleagues at the Memorial service last Sep. 10th. He is greatly missed as we continue the work of the company that he started. We are grateful for all the donations and cards that came in Barry’s memory. (see the Gary's Eulogy speech below). Business is good as we still receive requests for additional services. We look forward to working on those.

Avsource USA

We completed a US export certificate of airworthiness and a special flight permit for a Boeing 737-341 Freighter to South Africa.
We are actively completing a fresh annual inspection on a Mooney M20F. We ran the engine last week for the first time in 9 years. It cranked right up as though it never went to sleep. All indications were in the normal range. Remaining tasks are to install the flight instruments, radios, and perform the final operational checks.
We are preparing to issue special flight permits and export airworthiness certificates for two Boeing 737-800s going to China this month.

Avsource Brasil

We are still assisting LATAM in phasing out their A330 fleet, 14 A319/A320s and 1 B767.
We were also awarded a contract to provide aircraft maintenance records research for a 737-400 operated by Modern Logistics. This work is well underway.

God Bless America (North and South).
The Avsource Group

For Barry
September 7, 2016

Barry Hicks was a special person and admired by many. He always had a smile and pleasant, respectful greeting for everyone. He usually called me “Mr. Gair,” and he greeted others in like manner with a humble attitude. We knew each other and worked together for the last 30 years. Of course, in that span of time we shared many experiences.

Barry was an independent thinker, sharp witted, and very unpredictable as to what he would say next. He did not speak using clichés. He truly had a mind of his own and spoke accordingly.

We traveled many places together around the world; France, Italy, Brazil, Bangladesh, to mention a few. He would always use as much of the local language as he could with foreign words like Bonjerno, Grazzi, Prego, when we were in Italy. And Bon Dia, Toto Bon (bone), Toto Ban (bane), Muito Obrigado, in Brazil. He always enjoyed the local cuisine, especially the Gelato of Italy, which he could never pass up. Barry always said “life’s too short for cheap ice cream,” so we would splurge for the Gelato.

We would be in meetings together or on the phone to discuss business ideas and if I suggested something he liked, he would say “keep thinking, Butch. That’s what you’re good at,” (a famous line from the movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).

He always had a humorous comment to the business at hand. We might be in a meeting with a client to sign a business agreement and Barry would say, “you hold the pen, we’ll move the paper.” And “move the paper” he did. Barry saw to it that we had service agreements with most of the major airlines, leasing companies, and manufacturers of transport airplanes. That put food on our tables and kept the kids in shoes, for which we are grateful.

Barry always respected the religious beliefs of others and I’m sure he won’t mind me telling you this. He was a God-fearing, gun-toting, American family man who stressed the importance of The Golden Rule. You may not agree with his philosophy or his personal religious beliefs, but one of his favorite scriptures comes from Joshua 24:15, “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Rest well Mr. Hicks. You have now landed on that runway paved with gold and will always be the honored Emeritus and Patriarch of The Avsource Group.

Written by Gary Loyd, Sr. Partner, The Avsource Group