HAI is pleased to announce the 2010 W. A. (Dub) Blessing Certified Flight Instructor of the Year Award recipient, Tom Read; Check Airman and Flight Instructor, Omniflight Helicopters, Addison, Texas.
Tom Read has garnered a decorated and prestigious accident and incident-free career, earning 19 Pilot Proficiency awards from the FAA. Read graduated from the U.S. Army Rotor Wing Flight School in 1969, deploying to Vietnam as an aeromedical evacuation helicopter pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star, Air Medal with “V” for Valor and 25 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star for Valor, among others.
Returning from Vietnam, Read served with the 212th Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) at Fort Meade, Maryland, as an evacuation pilot, Instrument Flight Instructor, Aviation Safety Officer, Flight Operations Officer, and Commander. There he developed the Instrument Flying Training Program to convert pilots with tactical instrument tickets to full instrument ratings. From 1978 to 1981, he commanded the 63rd Medical Detachment (Air Ambulance) in Germany, providing medical evacuation to NATO soldiers. From 1982 to 1987, he served at the Army’s Academy of Health Sciences, Combat Developments Division at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he was responsible for redesigning Army combat field medical organizations. Read retired from military service as a Lieutenant Colonel and Master Army Aviator.
In February of 1989, Read went to work for Omniflight Helicopters, Inc, where he has worked as a line pilot, Part 135 flight instructor, FAA certified check airman, director of training and operations, and chief pilot. Read was principal contact to the FAA during establishment of the Terminal Enroute Procedures (TERPS) to standardize helicopter instrument approaches for users of the country’s medical facilities. He has developed courseware for many training programs using a multimedia approach, and personally developed the Omniflight Flight and Ground Training Program.
Read’s 40 years of committed service to his country and to helicopter flight instruction makes him richly deserving of the 2010 W. A. (Dub) Blessing Certified Flight Instructor of the Year Award.
All winners will be recognized at HELI-EXPO 2010’s annual “Salute to Excellence” Awards Banquet on February 22, 2010 in Houston, Texas. For more information about the 2010 “Salute to Excellence” Awards, contact HAI’s Communications Department at 703-683-4646, fax: 703-683-4745, or email: rotor@rotor.com. For more information on HELI-EXPO 2010, visit www.rotor.com.