Over the next 32 years of his career in the Navy, he would work his way up from a lowly airman aviation structural mechanic (E1) all the way to Senior Chief (E8). Later, he was even commissioned as a limited duty officer and became an Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer.
He shared an amusing story of a completely disorganized shop that he was able to turn around. He had created a very rigorous set of daily, weekly and monthly tasks, which he found many years later was still the same checklist being used to manage the shop.
During his long Navy career, Thomas was involved in maintenance and maintenance oversight leadership on many different aircraft. He was the go-to guy for planes like the F-5 Tiger, F/A-18 Hornet, A-6 Intruder, A-4 Skyhawk, C-130 Hercules, SH-60 Seahawk, H-46 Sea Knight, and he was even part of the A-12 Avenger II acquisition program.
He was also deployed on many ships and led multi-service teams in the combat zones of Iraq and Kuwait. He had some amusing stories to share about his adventures in Kuwait, but those are probably better left out of this story.
Thomas struck me as a very down-to-earth guy, but someone who was also incredibly ambitious. While in the Navy he managed to get his GED, an AA and BA from Columbia College, and even a MS in Acquisition Management from the American Graduate University. It goes to show you that your career path can sometimes be a windy road.
After retiring from the Navy, Thomas didn't slow down. He went back to Iraq and even to Afghanistan, where he worked on some pretty advanced stuff like the MQ-5B Hunter Unmanned Air vehicle and the Persistent Threat Detection System (74K Aerostat). He eventually came back to the US and took on the role of General Manager and Quality Assurance at U.S. Aerospace Corp in Selmer, TN. But he didn't stay there for long. In July 2014, he started his own FAA 145 repair station and became the owner and President of T.T. AEROTECH Corporation in Savannah, TN.
But, Thomas isn't done yet. This summer, along with two Bowling Green State University graduates who have more than 70 years of combined military and commercial aviation experience, he will be making the trip of a lifetime in an effort to break the current record for the quickest flight through all 48 contiguous states.
The mission, appropriately dubbed 48N48 by co-pilot Aaron Wilson '04 and former student Barry Behnfeldt '83, aims to be completed in less than 48 hours.
Behnfeldt and Wilson hope to inspire the next generation of pilots with their goal to break the world record while also addressing the ongoing pilot shortage in the United States.
The programs objectives include:
Thomas will be serving as the flight's Director of Maintenance and Inflight Technician. He'll be the onboard A&P ready to assist with any repairs as needed on this extensive flight. We wish him the best of luck.
To support their flight and the mission of the Veteran's Airlift Command, visit https://48n48.org.