May_2021 - 22

COVER STORY

His Father's Influence
The company that bears the family name
began in 1960, when Howard Gammon,
Jim's father, quit his job as chief engineer at
Purolator Filters.
" He built our company from nothing in our
garage and basement, " Gammon recalls, noting
he started working part-time for his father
around the age of 12.
" Dad took it upon himself to be my professor and did so until 2018, when he passed
away at 95, " Gammon continues. " I have nothing but respect for my dad. He is my hero. "
Early on, Gammon loved the aviation
industry and found it interesting. He found
work as a teenager at Central Jersey Regional
Airport - known then as Kupper Airport, near
New Brunswick, N.J.
" When I was 16, I had a summer job at
a tiny airport, refueling light aircraft and
cleaning the bellies of Cessna 150 trainers, "
he notes. " And I got my pilot's license that
summer, working at the airport. I had a pilot's
license before I got my driver's license. "
At Gammon Technical Products, Gammon
worked his way up from shipping, to assembly,
to valve rebuilding, to constructing refueling
cabinets, to engineering and education. He
ultimately became president in 2002.
" I started with my dad full time in late 1974
when I was 21. I was attending engineering
school at the time. But I just could not apply
myself to subjects I didn't find interesting, and
now I know why. Today it's called Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), " Gammon recalls.
" Back then, my Dad called it another name, a
lack of discipline. "
Under the tutelage of his father, whom
Gammon describes as a very careful, old fash-

ioned businessman, he learned everything he
needed to succeed in the business.
Gammon's ability to understand machinery, flow and contamination made his fascination with the aviation industry a perfect match
for a career path.
" I think understanding flow dynamics is
most important. If you cannot look at a system
and pick out the restrictions and how filters
and control valves work, you'll never fully
understand how the system works, " he says.
Gammon is proud of the work his company
has produced for the industry.
" We have designed and built many of the
small and relatively inexpensive items used
in fuel handling, from the sample QD to the
Gammon Gauge and Viper additive injector.
We were the first to bring Intrinsically Safe
(IS) power to aviation water sensing probes and
deadman handles, " Gammon says, noting the
importance of IS power remaining so low that
it cannot spark a fire.
" Jim now, and his father Howard before
him, have been the leaders in fuel quality and
innovation for everything related to aviation
fuel, " adds Langtip.

Educating the Industry
Gammon says his objective has always been
education - not sales. For these efforts, Langtip considers Gammon an industry icon.
" Leadership, honesty, integrity and intelligence. Now add common sense with some
life experience to that mix - rare traits for one
person, " Langtip says. " This is Jim Gammon. "
In addition to his responsibilities at GTP,
Gammon was invited to be part of the National
Air Transportation Association (NATA) Line
Service Training Program, which he accepted
on a volunteer basis for more than 20 years.
He has also given hundreds of seminars for
various companies around the world, including major oil companies and airlines.
" It is just good business to help people
know why they are doing things - and what
to look for, " he explains.
Devoting attention to detail was a valuable
lesson passed on to Gammon by his father
Howard.
Jim Gammon (left) addresses
industry professionals gathered
at the 2018 Aviation Fuel Handling
Training Symposium.
GSW file photo

22 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

MAY 2021

" My dad said long ago, do
the job right and everything
else sorts out in the end, "
Gammon recalls.
" Shell had an old
training video called
'The 10,000th Time.'
The point was that
while you may do
9,999 tests without
finding contamination. One single bad
test result makes them
all worthwhile, " he says.
" The fact that contamination is rare and that
when it does occur it
is not widely reported,
allows complacency.
That should be our
greatest concern. "
Gammon's focus on education has led to
other endeavors as well.
" Our company, Gammon Technical Products, also is well known for producing an educational publication, the Gamgram, " he says.
" There are 72 articles, so far, written over the
past 45 years covering all aspects of aviation
fuel handling, quality control and how all the
equipment works, and why. It is considered
around the world as a primer for everyone
getting into aviation fuel handling and has
been translated into at least three languages. "
In 2017, Gammon coordinated the first
Aviation Fuel Handling Training Symposium.
" I didn't anticipate how much of a draw
there would be, " Gammon said shortly after
the inaugural event, adding it was created to
serve as a networking and training opportunity rather than a revenue generator.
The event grew in 2018 and 2019, and after
taking a year off the Aviation Fuel Handling
Training Symposium will take place in Las
Vegas later this year in conjunction with the
International GSE Expo.
" It's been a labor of love to bring this symposium together and provide a means for people to communicate and share information
and learn from each other, " Gammon said
during the 2018 event.
The biggest challenge in helping keep
the industry educated, is the vast amount of
information available coupled with a declining
number of subject experts.

May_2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May_2021