Remembering Alan Buchner
(1934 – 2025)
Alan Leslie Buchner took his final flight on Thursday, October 30th, 2025. He was at his home in Groveland, CA, surrounded by family.
Aviation was born into Alan in Bakersfield, California, on June 18th, 1934. His father, Les, was a flight instructor and mechanic who ran the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Bakersfield Airport (BFL). Alan grew up at the airport helping, working, and listening to tall tales. His dad joined the Army Air Corps during WWII as an aviation investigator, so the family moved around a lot, settling back in Bakersfield after the war.
Alan purchased his first airplane, a 1936 Rearwin Sportster, at age 16. After only a year of flying, he rebuilt it. This was his first restoration, launching a lifelong passion.
Rather than being drafted, Alan joined the Army and finished first in his class at both helicopter mechanics and aircraft engine school. In the infinite wisdom of the military, Alan never worked on helicopters or airplanes, but he got to hang out at the airport.
Introduced on a blind date, something clicked between this quiet, hard-working man and a cute, sassy little blue-eyed blond named Conni. Alan proposed, and before the year was out, they married, launching a 62-year marriage, love affair, and partnership. They have three children.
Alan’s career was entirely in aviation. He worked for aircraft dealers and flew both scheduled and corporate routes. To fill the time between flights, he started Buchner Aero Specialties in the back of a Fresno hangar. Thus began his lifelong business. He has refurbished, repaired, maintained, and restored thousands of airplanes over the years.
Bring Alan anything with a propeller, and he could fly and maintain it. He was clear about what he could and could not do. He didn’t fly or work on jets. He didn’t work on avionics either, “you can’t see electricity,” so he leaves that to someone else. Alan has received the FAA Charles Taylor Master Mechanic and Wright Brothers Master Pilot Awards. He has also won over 52 awards for his airplanes. He holds almost every license and certification for flying, instructing, and maintaining fixed-wing, piston-powered aircraft. Alan also dazzled airshow crowds for 17 years, performing in his 1942 Ryan PT-22.
Buchner Aero Specialties was busy, doing about 90 annuals yearly. Aircraft maintenance paid the bills, but Alan’s passion was aircraft restoration, “taking a piece of junk and making it look like new.” There was never a plan to establish a museum; it just happened, one beautifully restored airplane at a time. The Buchner Museum was listed in the 1993 “Aircraft Museums and Collections of the World.” The book detailed thirteen aircraft on display, and Alan entertained visitors from around the world. Today, the “museum” resides in Alan and Conni’s PML hangar. Visitors enjoy aircraft, automobiles, and memorabilia. Alan’s restorations have won numerous awards, been featured in print and on television, and are on display in museums in Germany and England.
Alan was an artisan, of sorts. The restoration process was personal, connecting him with the skills and technical abilities of the past. Alan’s most prized restoration, a Waco-QDC, was found trashed in a barn. In the 15-year restoration process, Alan discovered that his father, Les, once owned the airplane. His Waco was awarded EAA Grand Champion and is one of only two still flying. At the time of his passing, Alan was restoring a 1936 Porterfield that had been owned by his father.
Alan and Conni purchased their Pine Mountain Lake property in 1999 and built a home/hangar combination. When it was finished, Conni moved in immediately to escape the Fresno fog, and Alan commuted to Fresno. In 2015, Alan chose to permanently move his “museum” to PML.
Alan is survived by his wife, Conni, their two children, Tana and Michael, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Tony. Alan left his mark on every person he met and every airplane he has flown or worked on. Many friends and aviators will miss him very much.
A Celebration of Life for Alan Buchner will be held on January 31st, 2026, at 4:00 pm, at the Buchner Museum, 20885 Hemlock St, Groveland, CA 95321.
