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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Mark A. Starkey

Chuck Thomas' passion for aviation was sparked in 1952 and has not stopped since. In fifty-two years of taking to the sky he has logged over 14,000 hours of flight time in fixed wing aircraft, over 2,000 hours in hot air balloons and over 600 hours in gliders. More importantly, he has shared his passion with those around him and has encouraged and supported countless others in their own pursuit of flight.
Although his first flying lesson was in 1952, Thomas waited until he graduated from college and law school to continue with the lessons. He obtained his fixed wing rating in 1962. The first plane he owned was a 1965 brown Cessna 182. Over the subsequent forty-two years, Thomas has owned and operated a plethora of planes ranging from Piper Cub J-3's equipped with skis for the Illinois winters, several Cessna models ranging from the 150 to a 421, a piper Aztec-his first twin engine, an amphibious Sea Ray, a Cessna push-pull twin engine Skymaster, and a V tail bonanza. These days Thomas is often found soaring above the shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in his Stearman. When he needs to travel longer distances at greater speed, he gets behind the controls of his King Air 90 in which he has logged over 400 hours per year in the past few years.
In spite of his obvious love for fixed wing flight, Thomas has also touched the sky in other vehicles of flight. In 1971, inspired by a book about hot air ballooning, Thomas contacted the then only balloonist in Illinois, Tom Gable, for a few lessons. He obtained his ballooning license shortly thereafter to become the second balloonist in Illinois. Hot air ballooning has taken Thomas and his family to countless domestic and international rallies over the years from the National Championships in Indianola, Iowa to the World Air Games in Turkey. While participating in a competition in China in 1992 he and his wife were the first Americans to fly a hot air balloon over the Great Wall. Thomas' legacy in the ballooning world not only extends to those he has inspired to take to the sky, including his wife and sons, but also the Ballooning Federation of America. As a board member for eight years Thomas played an integral role in helping restructure the BFA in its early infancy to enable it to develop into the strong organization it is today.
Thomas also tried his hand at gas ballooning when he joined a colleague, Dean Stellas, for three events. Stellas owned a gas balloon, but did not have a license. Thomas had a license by virtue of having his ballooning license, but had never flown a gas balloon. As Thomas recalls, their adventure in flight was more rewarding than their success in reaching their proposed destinations. Thomas' adventures with gas balloons continued into the late 1990's when he befriended Kevin Uliassi and helped support his attempts to become the first solo gas balloon pilot to fly around the world. Uliassi used space in Thomas' hangar and became a frequent guest of the Thomas home. Thomas and his wife were active members of Uliassi's support crew on both of his unsuccessful attempts.
In the late 1970's Thomas sent four of his children to glider camp in Colorado. Upon their return, they convinced Thomas to invest in an L-13 Blanik in 1980. Thomas reports that three of his children had their glider rating before he received his. Thomas later invested in a Grobe 109 motor glider that often joined the air above the grass strip on the Thomas farm with gliders from the Northern Illinois Soaring Association.
Always searching for other means of taking to the sky, the powered parachute caught Thomas' attention at the Sun n' Fun air show in April 1995. He flew to the Buckeye plant in Argus, Indiana where he took over the controls in his first powered parachute flight. Over the years he has mastered a single and two man powered parachute, and has maintained a relationship with the owners of Buckeye. In 1998 Thomas was asked by Buckeye to assist them in giving John F. Kennedy Jr. more instruction in a two seater. Thomas soon found himself flying JFK Jr., and his wife, Caroline, from Chicago to Argus where he spent the next few days teaching JFK Jr. the ins and outs of the two man powered parachute thus fueling yet another man's interest in flight.
Regardless of the chosen vehicle of flight, Thomas' passion for flight is most evident when he is sharing it with others. He has inspired and supported almost forty people to become pilots including four of his seven children and his wife. Thomas has generously given his time and his co-pilot seat to a number of aspiring commercial pilots who were able to acquire enough flight time and experience to reach their goal. Currently, there are six commercial pilots in the air thanks to Thomas. Without Chuck Thomas and his commitment to aviation, the sky would be a much less exciting place for many. His enthusiasm for flight has touched the lives of those around him and will continue to do so as long as he takes to the sky.