Meet the New Chairman: George Edward Ed Newton,Jr.

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1 Meet the New Chairman: George Edward Ed Newton,Jr. by Martin J. Pociask As circumstance, or luck, would have it, HAI s newly elected Chairman, George Edward Ed Newton's aviation career was shaped by a little bit of both. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 17, 1947, St. Patrick s Day, into a family who had strong Irish roots. Ed didn t know it then, but he was already on a course with destiny. The following year his family moved to Lincoln Park, which, at that time, was a small farming community in Morris County, in a state nicknamed the Garden State. This is where circumstance, luck, or as some might call it, destiny, stepped in. The young lad s mode of transportation in those days was a bicycle. Young Ed would routinely ride his bicycle over to the Lincoln Park Airport, a small grass strip located two miles north of the boro, to watch planes take off and land. He was fascinated by the miracle of flight, and the comings and goings at the airport captivated and stirred his imagination. Lincoln Park s airport owner and operator was Mr. Ed Gorski who, in earlier years, was a mechanic for Amelia Earhart, and other aviators. Mr. Gorski and his wife owned an Aeronca K that they kept at the airport. Ed would listen with great interest to the many stories told by Mr. Gorski, and boy, he did have a plethora of stories to tell about Amelia Earhart. Ed heard the story of how she successfully followed in the footsteps of Charles Lindberg by soloing across the Atlantic, the first woman to do so, and in the shortest amount of time, and about her sad disappearance. The young boy listened to these stories, along with stories about Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Arthur Godfrey, and others, and about the early days of aviation. These stories, and others, peaked his interest and laid the groundwork for his life-long love affair with flight. Halfway around the globe, however, world events would soon shape his future course and take him on a career path that led him to aviation. In January 1969, after graduating from Saint Francis College in Photo by Daria Amato 6 SUMMER 2006

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3 Photos courtesy of Ed Newton Aviator Wings. Ed gets pinned by his wife Dorothy, upon graduating flight school at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, in May assigned by the Army to Fort Rucker. He spent the last two years of his military career there as an instrument instructor pilot flying TH-13Ts and UH-1Bs, and Hs. Ed found this a most interesting assignment flying across the southeastern part of the U.S., while instructing Army, Air Force, and NATO students. He left the Army in 1973, along with thousands of other helicopter pilots, as the Army was downsizing post-vietnam. Timing is everything. Ed was most fortunate to apply for a pilot position at Keystone Helicopter Corporation, at a time when Keystone was in need of one. Ed enjoyed working for the Wright family from 1973 through He was able to fly a variety of helicopters, including the Bell 47G, G4, 206A, B, Biddeford, Maine, Ed was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was scheduled to go to Vietnam as a grunt. Instead, he signed up for Rotary Wing Flight School. Everything has a beginning, and this was the beginning of Ed s aviation career. Looking back now, Ed offered, It was probably the best career move I could have made. He learned to fly the Hiller OH 23D at Fort Wolters, Texas, and the Bell OH 13T and UH 1ABD at Fort Rucker, Alabama, graduating in May of From flight school, he was selected to attend the Army's Aviation Officer Maintenance Course at Fort Eustsis, Virginia. Prior to being sent to Vietnam, he returned to Fort Rucker for a transition course in the Bell OH 58A. Ed arrived in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) in September 1970, and was assigned to the 48th Assault Helicopter Company. The BlueStars, as they were known, had one of the best safety records and aircraft availability rates in the 1st Aviation Brigade. Influencing factors for this stellar record were exceptional leadership, an excellent maintenance record, and very good flight crews. Ed became the unit's Quality Control Officer and Test Pilot, while working in the maintenance platoon. He flew UH1Cs and Hs, and received an in-country transition to the AH-1G. To increase his In Country. Ed arrived in Vietnam in September 1970, and went on to learn valuable lessons he would carry with him throughout his career. flight time, in the last four months of his 12-month tour of duty, he moved to the Second Flight Platoon as an Aircraft Commander. During that tour, he demonstrated his leadership skills and was awarded numerous air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross, while taking part in Operation Lam Son 719, and other air operations in I Corp and II Corp. The lessons he learned during his tour of duty with the 48th have remained with him throughout his career. Ed returned to the states and was BO, 105C, and the Hughes 300C. The missions were as varied as the helicopters flown day/night bank check flights, power line patrols, buried cable and pipeline patrols, executive charter, Santa Drops, and photo flights, including television camera crews and reporters. He worked on an interesting contract Keystone had with the Boeing Vertol Company. The U.S. Army was developing the Apache helicopter and wanted to conduct tests to make it less observable. Keystone engineers took a Bell 47 G4 and 8 SUMMER 2006

4 modified it with a square canopy, by placing plywood on either side of the engine/transmission, and wrapping canvas around the tail boom. The helicopter was painted OD green on one side and jungle camouflage on the other. Tests were conducted at New Garden Field, in Pennsylvania, to see how well the Apache could be seen by a test group at distances of one, two, and three kilometers away. Another memorable flight involved the use of a handheld microwave dish to feed the CBS network pictures of President Ford at the Liberty Bell in downtown Philadelphia during Bicentennial ceremonies in What is commonplace today with gyro-stabilized cameras and dishes, was still very experimental back then. Ed left Keystone in 1976 to return to New Jersey, so he and his wife, Dorothy, could be closer to their families. The position that lured Ed back home was a helicopter flying position with a small company, called Interpace. They had just purchased the new Bell 206L, which was based at Morristown, New Jersey Airport. With Jack Childs as SUMMER 2006 Wooden Wonder. Ed flew this curiously modified Bell 47 G4 as part of camoflage testing early in the development program for the Army s AH-64 Apache. Chief Pilot, they needed another captain. It was a great job flying back and forth between company headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey and the New York City heliports, and company facilities throughout the Northeast. The company traded the Bell 206L for an AS-350B, with an AS-355 on order. To fly and fight. Ed received an in-country transition to the AH-1G Cobra. To increase his flight time, in the last four months of his 12-month tour of duty, he moved to the Second Flight Platoon as an Aircraft Commander. During that tour, he demonstrated his leadership skills and was awarded numerous air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. This was the beginning of Ed s corporate flying career. Unfortunately, with a downturn in the economy, Interpace was in for some tough times. The Flight Department was in the crosshairs of the bean counters, and the prospects for future operations looked shaky. Fortunately for Ed and Jack, a larger company, Allied Chemical, was purchasing a new S- 76A for delivery in It was an easy move over to the next hangar on the field. Bill Rio joined the two, and the three quickly transitioned into the new Sikorsky. The S-76A was the premier corporate helicopter at the time, and they utilized its capabilities to the fullest. They transported employees and customers to company facilities as far north as Canada, and as far south as Richmond, Virginia. Over the past 26 years, Allied Chemical has gone through various name changes (Allied Corp., AlliedSignal, and finally, Honeywell), and has purchased three more S-76s (currently operating an S-76B), and the integration of the helicopter for transportation of employees and customers is now accepted as the norm. Ed was appointed Chief Helicopter Pilot in 1997, and has also obtained type ratings in fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Falcon 50, 900, 2000, and Jetstream 41. He was the Flight Department s Safety Officer for six 9 Photos courtesy of Ed Newton

5 Photos courtesy of Ed Newton Corporate Flying. Ed went to work for New Jersey-based Interpace in It was here that Ed began his corporate flying career. Eastern Region Helicopter Council (ERHC), and helped write the charter and by-laws of the organization. He was affiliated with the National Burn Victim Foundation, as an original member of its helicopter emergency response program. The Foundation consisted of more than 25 companies who were willing to donate the use of their helicopters during a major disaster. This program is now operating under the auspices of the ERHC. It has become an integral part of the tristate (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) area s emergency response plan. Currently, Ed serves on the Board of Directors of the Morristown Airport Association (MAA) and the Morris County, New Jersey Freeholders Airport Advisory years, and has accumulated over 10,000 accident and incident-free flying hours. The employment with Honeywell has been a rewarding one for Ed. Particularly rewarding has been his involvement with the Flight Department in the development and flight demos of the company's new avionics equipment and interfacing with Honeywell's avionics marketing group. Over the years, he has taken part in the testing, development, and certification of helicopter weather radar, EFIS, TCAS, radar altimeters, MLS, and EGPWS. On a personal note, Ed enjoys traveling with Dot, his wife of 34 years. They have traveled nationally and internationally, to destinations in Europe and the Caribbean. Ed also keeps in touch with his beginnings, by attending most of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Reunions, held in a different U.S. city each year. Ed says, It's a great way to see the United States, while at the same time being in the company of good friends with whom we have had a long and lasting friendship. Ed is no stranger to HAI. During his years in the industry, he has had a long association with the organization on many levels. He has served on the Fly Neighborly, Flight Operations, and Heliport Committees. As a member of the Board of Directors for the past five Old Friends. Ed maintains his connections to many friends and associates. Here he visits with Edwards & Associates Chief Pilot Bill Finney. Both are members of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. years, he has served as Board Liaison to the Flight Operations and Technical Committees, and the Ad Hoc Committee for helicopter emergency response. He has also served as Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Executive Committee. During HELI-EXPO 2006, in Dallas, Texas, the Board elected Ed Newton as HAI s new Chairman, effective July 1, Ed succeeds Timothy Wahlberg, Chairman of Evergreen Aviation. Ed is a past Vice President of the Board. The MAA has been successful in addressing noise complaints around the Morristown Airport (KMMU) by developing helicopter noise abatement routes and altitudes into and out of the airport. A DVD has been produced depicting these routes. It has been made available to all helicopter operators who use or transit KMMU s airspace. Their use of these routes and altitudes has virtually eliminated helicopter noise as an airport issue. Ed takes over the reins as Chairman of HAI with the goals of 10 SUMMER 2006

6 promoting safety, economic opportunities, and increased services for the membership. He believes this can be done with better cooperation and increased communication among its members worldwide, while encouraging the expansion of government-industry partnerships. Some say that life is but a circle. The young boy of yesteryear, on his bicycle, drawn by his fascination with aviation to a tiny airstrip, was forever changed. As a young man introduced to rotary flight, he served his country in national service with great skill and dedication half way around the world. Today, with an even deeper commitment to our slice of aviation, Ed Newton has agreed to lead our industry through these challenging, uncertain, and yet promising times. The young boy, who so many years ago parked his bicycle by that grassy New Jersey runway, has swapped that transport for another vehicle called a helicopter a multi-faceted vehicle of unlimited potential that can provide countless Making a difference. Ed has taken the podium many times for HAI, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since services. Its flexible mobility makes it suitable to perform dozens of varied roles in a single day. Roles such as executive transport, agriculture, firefighting, law enforcement, forestry, sightseeing, construction, offshore, electronic news gathering, EMS work, and numerous other important services. Martin J. Pociask is Director of Communications for HAI. HAI photo by Lagniappe Studios C onsolidated Aircraft Supply Co., Inc., in business since 1957, is a class 1,2 & 3 Accessory Repair Station. Our experience and capabilities are unmatched in the industry. Our inventory is extensive. Most parts are in stock to overhaul your accessories with minimum turn time. We have one of the largest exchange pools, which insures maximum coverage for your A.O.G. requirements. Our staff is always ready to meet your accessory needs, with competitive prices and quality service. Some of our capabilities include: A.C. & D.C. Generators Lights G.C.U. s Beacons Fuel & Hydraulic Pumps Valves Inverters Blowers Relays Actuators Authorized Product Support and Service Center for: KGS electronics KGS Electronics Weldon Pump FAA: G I1R167K JAA Approved Honeywell Authorized Repair on GII, GIII, GIV, Learjet, B747 Generators Consolidated AIRCRAFT SUPPLY CO., INC. 55 Raynor Ave., Ronkonkoma, NY PH: FAX: [email protected] SUMMER