In Memoriam: THOMAS H. WARDLEIGH

TRIBUTE TO THOMAS H. WARDLEIGH

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I pay tribute to Mr. Thomas H. Wardleigh, Alaskan aviation legend, who left us for new horizons on July 7, 2004, following a long battle with cancer. A World War II Navy veteran, Tom moved to Alaska in 1951 and continued his aviation career as a mechanic with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, keeping its fleet of Grumman aircraft in operation for decades. He completed his federal service at the Federal Aviation Administration. He then devoted the rest of his life to promoting safety enhancements for Alaskan aviation.

In 1984 he became chairman of the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation and produced more than 1,000 weekly episodes of a TV show called ``Hangar Flying'' which was broadcast all over Alaska. Because of the value of the instruction, the national organization, Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association, recently gave a grant to the University of Alaska Archives to transfer all of the programs to DVD so that future aviators will be able to learn from his timeless wisdom. Tom Wardleigh logged over 33,000 flight hours in numerous types of aircraft.

He was in great demand as an advanced flight instructor, and was one of the few multiengine sea plane instructors. Many, many Alaskan pilots were Tom's students over the years. Although he was a tenacious fighter, Wardleigh was soft spoken, friendly, and always a gentleman, perhaps some reasons he was such a successful advocate for aviation safety enhancement, whether in education or technology.

He was most recently instrumental in the development of the FAA Capstone Project which has been credited as a significant factor in lowering the accident rate in rural Alaska. While his work was primarily in Alaska, Tom participated in forums and projects all over the United States as well as in other countries whose aviation leaders often came to Alaska to personally seek Tom's advice on developing their safety programs.

he list of commendations Tom had received over the years is long, and includes AOPA's Laurence P. Sharples' national award in 1994 for his lifetime of service. Last year, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey personally recognized Tom with one of the agency's most significant honors in U.S. civil aviation, the Distinguished Service Award--this in addition to having previously bestowed on him the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic and the Wright Brothers' Master Pilot Awards.

While Tom Wardleigh may have taken his last flight, pilots and passengers alike will fondly remember this special aviator as they turn onto Wardleigh Drive at the Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport.

[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record (Bound Edition),
Volume 150 (2004), Part 13] [Senate]
[Pages 17062-17063]