Meet Wingnut Watson
Every airplane has a logbook telling its story. This is mine. If you’ve enjoyed looking around the site, grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let me tell you how a kid from the Arizona desert somehow became Wingnut Watson.
How did I become Wingnut Watson?
Wingnut Watson History
The first indications I might grow up to be a Wingnut
Me and my brother playing with our newly built airplane.
Every adventure has a beginning. Mine started with a little boy standing in the Arizona desert, staring into the sky. Growing up near the Yuma Proving Ground meant military aircraft were a regular part of everyday life, and every pass overhead fueled my imagination. Long before I ever touched an airplane, I knew they fascinated me. I just didn’t know that fascination would eventually take me around the world.
When I joined the Air Force to see the world this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.
Down in Incirlik Turkey
My ten years in the Air Force turned into an adventure I never could have imagined. I found myself living and working across Europe, spending time in the Middle East, and even setting foot in Africa. For a kid who grew up in the Arizona desert watching military airplanes streak overhead, it felt like the world had suddenly opened up. It was also during those years that I picked up the nickname **Wingnut**. While I was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, the locals had a habit of calling us GIs “wingnuts.” It wasn’t exactly meant as a compliment. At first, I took it that way too. But something funny happened over the years. The nickname stuck, and somewhere along the way I stopped hearing it as an insult. Instead, it became a badge of honor. Aviation had become more than just my job. It had become part of who I was. By the time I left the Air Force, I proudly answered to **Wingnut**, and decades later I’m still carrying the name with a smile.
Stationed in England
Volunteer at Duxford Imperial War Museum
Being stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England wasn’t exactly the dream assignment for a young single airman. To be honest, it could be pretty dull. After a while I grew tired of spending weekends in the pubs, so I started looking for something with a little more purpose. That search led me to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, where I volunteered on weekends. What began as an excuse to get off base quickly became one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Surrounded by historic aircraft, passionate volunteers, and countless stories from aviation history, I discovered a place where I truly felt at home. Looking back, those weekends at Duxford shaped my love of vintage aircraft just as much as my time working on modern fighters in the Air Force.
Out of the Air Force and working in England
Testing a burner a Autoflame Engineering
So I left the Air Force and decided to stay in England for a while. I eventually found my way to an engineering company in London that specialized in burner control systems for large industrial boilers, the kind that keep hotels, hospitals, and factories running. It was a completely different world from fighter aircraft, but I quickly discovered that understanding how to troubleshoot and control an F-15 afterburner translated surprisingly well to industrial combustion systems. Turns out, knowing your way around an afterburner does have a civilian application after all!
Working in Portugal
Golf course Mechanic in Portugal?
After a few more twists and turns, life carried me to southern Portugal, where I became the Chief Mechanic at Quinta da Ria Golf Course. It was about as far from fighter jets as you could imagine. Instead of flight lines and afterburners, my days were spent keeping an entire fleet of golf course equipment running. It was a wonderful adventure, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. But somewhere along the way I realized that adventure alone wasn’t enough. It was time to stop drifting, head back home, and build a career with a future.
Able Engineering and Component Services Phoenix AZ
Electroplater at Able
So I eventually made my way back to Arizona, where my first job was at Able Engineering. I started out performing electroplating repairs on aircraft components, restoring worn bearing liners on helicopter transmissions instead of replacing expensive housings. The fixture you see in the photo is one of my own creations, the **Stroke-O-Matic**, which allowed us to precisely build metal back onto worn parts, saving customers tens of thousands of dollars.
Able turned out to be much more than just a job. It gave me the opportunity to learn new skills, take on increasingly challenging work, and continue growing in aviation maintenance. Those experiences eventually led me to earn my Airframe certificate and opened the door to the next chapter of my career.
Hawker Beechcraft
Getting my foot in the door to becoming an A&P
An opportunity opened up at Hawker Beechcraft, and I jumped at the chance. For the first time out of the Air Force, I was working on complete aircraft instead of individual components, and getting paid to do it felt like I’d finally found the career I’d been chasing. I was hired with a freshly earned Airframe certificate and the avionics experience I had brought with me from the Air Force. Fortunately for me, most of the seasoned mechanics wanted nothing to do with the turboprops. They all gravitated toward the business jets, leaving me to become the “King Air guy.” There was always good-natured ribbing around the hangar. The jet mechanics would joke, “Props are for boats,” and my boss would fire right back, “And unemployed jet mechanics.” Working on King Airs gave me an incredible education in aircraft maintenance and ultimately allowed me to earn the Powerplant portion of my A&P certificate. Looking back, I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.
The Commemorative Air Force
Stearman Crew Chief
Flying faster and higher has always been exciting, but my heart has never strayed far from the rumble of a radial engine and the graceful lines of a fabric-covered biplane. After years spent building a career in modern aviation, I found myself drawn back to the aircraft that first inspired me. That journey led me to the Arizona Commemorative Air Force, where I became the Crew Chief for one of the organization’s beloved Boeing Stearman trainers. Caring for a living piece of aviation history wasn’t just another maintenance job. It was a privilege. Every flight honored the pilots, mechanics, and generations of volunteers who have kept these remarkable aircraft alive for future generations to experience. Although the demands of my career eventually required me to step away from the Crew Chief role, I remain a proud Life Member of the Arizona Commemorative Air Force. Vintage aviation is still a part of who I am, and I continue to work on classic aircraft through my small side business. It keeps my hands on the machines I love, even if life no longer allows the full-time commitment that serving as a Stearman Crew Chief once did.
MD Helicopters
Main Rotor Hub Overhaul
Working on complete aircraft had given me a solid foundation, but I found myself drawn back to the world of precision component overhaul when an opportunity opened up at MD Helicopters. There I specialized in rebuilding and inspecting critical dynamic components, where every measurement, tolerance, and inspection carried tremendous importance. Unlike routine maintenance, these parts had to be returned to exact factory specifications, leaving no room for shortcuts. The work demanded patience, precision, and an unwavering attention to detail. It deepened my understanding of helicopter systems and taught me that the smallest component can have the greatest impact on safety. Looking back, my time in component overhaul sharpened the inspection skills that would become the foundation of the next stage of my career.
Inspector at MD Helicopters
Doing testing at Thermal California
After several years, I was offered a position as an inspector, a role that proved to be a turning point in my career. When the pandemic led to my furlough in 2020, I decided to put that unexpected free time to good use by earning my Inspection Authorization (IA). Looking back, what initially felt like a setback became one of the best career opportunities I could have asked for.
Employee Training Department of One
Employee trainer at MD Helicopters
In 2022, I stepped into a role I never expected, taking over the company’s entire training department after our Training Manager retired. The catch? He had retired four months before I was selected, leaving no one to hand me the playbook. It was a classic case of learning while doing, and I often found myself thinking of Socrates’ advice: **”Be as you wish to seem.”** Long before anyone coined the phrase *”fake it till you make it,”* he understood that sometimes the path to becoming capable begins by having the courage to step into the role before you feel completely ready.
Inspector at Harter Aerospace
Inspector
In 2023 I started at Harter Aerospace, where I inspect overhauled aircraft components before they’re approved to return to service. There’s something deeply satisfying about measuring, verifying, questioning, and finally signing off a component knowing it meets the standards that keep aviation safe. Some people build things. Some people fix them. I’ve found my place making sure they’re truly ready to fly again.
Chief Inspector at Harter Aerospace
Chief Inspector
I suppose I must have been doing something right. In mid 2023, I was offered the position of Chief Inspector. Officially, it means I’m responsible for ensuring every component that leaves our repair station meets the highest standards of safety and quality. Unofficially, it means I’m the guy who puts in long hours, solves problems that don’t fit neatly into a manual, and somehow keeps all the plates spinning. The truth is, no Chief Inspector succeeds alone. I’m fortunate to work alongside an exceptional team whose knowledge, dedication, and professionalism make the impossible seem routine. Together, we’re trusted with something that matters far more than paperwork or production schedules. **Every signature we place on a return-to-service document represents one simple promise: when that aircraft takes to the sky, we’ve done everything in our power to make sure everyone aboard comes home safely.**
The Next Adventure
The Journey Continues
I’ve learned that every time I think I’ve reached the destination, another runway appears on the horizon. Today I’m still inspecting aircraft, restoring vintage airplanes, exploring back roads on a motorcycle, and sharing what I’ve learned with anyone who enjoys aviation as much as I do. If something on this website made you smile, taught you something new, or reminded you of one of your own adventures, then Wingnut-Watson.com has done exactly what I hoped it would. The next chapter is already out there. I just haven’t turned the page yet.
Professional Background
I am always looking for opportunities to grow, take on new challenges, and put my skills and experience to work. I bring a strong work ethic, a practical problem-solving approach, and a genuine interest in learning. Please feel free to view my résumé to learn more about my background, experience, and qualifications.