Let's call him the airplane whisperer. If you're not familiar with the term, it means someone who has an uncanny affinity for a subject. Kyle Bushman has an uncanny affinity for airplanes. He's just 27 years old and has the face of a cherub (albeit a bearded one), but he's the real deal when it comes to aircraft restoration. An A&P mechanic and avid pilot, Bushman apprenticed under Tim Talen, an Oregon-based antique aircraft restorer. When Talen wanted to retire, he looked at the kid who had been hanging out and working hard for his Ragwood Refactory for the past two years. He lent him the name for Bushman's own factory in Creswell, Oregon. (The original Ragwood Refactory still does business in Jasper, Oregon, where it started in 1978; Talen says he "failed" at retirement.)
展开▼
