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




                     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.
  The 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.

[[Page 17063]]

  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.

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