The aviation career of Vernon Thomas Bess spanned over 37 years. After spending 13 years, from 1947-1959, in the U.S. Naval Reserve, the U.S. Marine Corp, and the New York Air National Guard, Vernon left the service of his country to start his 24 year career in civilian aviation.
Vernon joined Pam Am in 1959 and worked in their Maintenance Department at Kennedy Airport in NY. By the time he left Pam Am in 1966, Vernon held the position of Supervisor of Maintenance Planning and Control.
In 1966, Vernon moved with his wife and children from Brooklyn, NY, to Winston-Salem, NC, and began his career with Piedmont Airlines. Piedmont had just ordered their first jets and had hired Vernon for the knowledge and skills he had acquired while at Pam Am.
When first hired, Vernon worked at Piedmont's Maintenance Facility across from the Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem. When the Greensboro Airport expanded their operations in the early 1980's, so did Piedmont Airlines. They moved their Maintenance Facilities, and Vernon's job, to the larger airport in Greensboro.
During his years with Piedmont, Vernon held several positions including coordinating work done on the aircraft with several other departments within the company. His last position at Piedmont Airlines was as Maintenance Supervisor of Planning and Scheduling.
Although Vernon retired from Piedmont Airlines in October of 1990, his love of, and for, aviation never left him.