Pursuing Excellence in Aviation and Business, with Chuck Surack

By John Zimmerman
Mar 11, 2025
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 99

After building a billion-dollar music business, Chuck Surack is applying the lessons he learned to save an aviation icon. He talks about his passion for flying helicopters, why he decided to buy Enstrom, and the challenge of restarting production. Chuck also offers plenty of tips for growing a business and creating a culture of excellence, with some peeks behind the scenes at Sweetwater. In the Ready to Copy segment, Chuck shares his favorite place to land a helicopter, what he looks for when hiring an employee, and what it was like to work with Stevie Wonder.

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Quotes:

Is it hard to learn to fly helicopters? “In a helicopter once you learn it, everything becomes second nature. I don’t believe it’s really that hard.”
Why he bought Enstrom: “Enstrom is a fabulous company that makes a great product. Really heavy duty.”
The challenges of restarting production: “It was almost like starting a new company. So we had to learn new processes.”
Lessons learned from his other businesses: “Always do the right thing. There are ways we could have taken shortcuts and maybe shipped helicopters a little faster. That’s just not my style.”
How FAA changes could help GA: “I think if they got out of the way and let innovation happen, we would have better products.”
Whether eVTOLs will change aviation: “I’m sure we’re gonna end up with some really strong performers. They have too many good things going for them.”
The value of community in aviation: “I love, love, love the community of aviators.”
Advice for new helicopter pilots: “Being really careful with preflights and post-flights. It gets really easy to fly the helicopter after a while, but it also gets easy to get complacent.”
How to build a customer-focused business: “I tell every employee… you’re empowered to do the right thing for the customer, and you will never get in trouble for doing the right thing for the customer.”
Mixing business and flying: “I try to be really careful: when I’m flying, I am flying. I turn my business hat off, and I just want to be the best pilot I can be.”
What to look for in a new employee: “I’m looking for fire in the belly.”
The magic of live music: “There’s just an energy that happens with a live performer on stage, where they’re spontaneously communicating with you.”