AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2022 - 33

" Jaden was certain she wanted to pursue
a career in aviation, " said Tanya, " so she then
enrolled in Sling Pilot Academy in Torrance,
California, to pursue her instrument, commercial,
and multiengine ratings. I moved to
Torrance with her for the nine months it took
for her to complete the courses. "
During that time, Jared made a trip to
Berryville, Arkansas, to look at an airplane for
sale. He saw a man wearing an " ArkanSTOL "
T-shirt and asked about it. That question and
the ensuing conversation opened a new world
to the Newmans.
With the ArkanSTOL 2020 event only two
weeks away, Jared called Jaden and Tanya in
California and suggested they fly in Jaden's
Cub to Byrd's Adventure Center in central
Arkansas for the annual STOL competition. It
was the first aviation event Jaden and her parents
had ever attended.
As a new pilot, Jaden surprised even herself
when she came away with second place in the
light sport category, bested only by her Flying
Cowboy hero Steve Henry, who is now a mentor.
Because Dustin was stationed in
Anchorage, Alaska, with the U.S. Air Force, he
was unable to watch his sister compete in the
2020 ArkanSTOL competition, but with an
18-day leave scheduled, he was determined to
make it to the 2021 competition. He spent the
first 10 days flying with his father, before flying
with his sister to Farmington, New Mexico,
where he got his private pilot certificate and
Jaden added AGI, CFI, and CFII certificates.
The two then met their parents at Byrd's
Adventure Center for ArkanSTOL 2021, where,
for the first time, Jaden competed against her
father in the light sport category. Jared took
first place; Jaden took third.
" I like competing against Dad, " Jaden said.
" It adds a challenge that's not there when competing
against other people. "
As a charter pilot, first for Clemens Aviation,
and currently for SouthWind Global Aviation,
Jaden now lives apart from her family in Kansas.
Tanya says she misses her daughter-and
son, too-but believes her children are achieving
the healthy independence they were meant
to have.
" I don't really know how it happened so
quickly, " she said, " but I'm proud of Jaden and
can't wait to see what she accomplishes next. "
Sheila Harris is a freelance writer who lives in
southwest Missouri.
AOPA PILOT / January 2022
33
Sumwalt returning to ERAU
Will lead aviation safety program
BY DAVID TULIS
E M B R Y - R I DDL E
A E R ON A U T I C A L
UN I V ER S I T Y alumnus, pilot, and former
National Transportation Safety Board
Chairman Robert Sumwalt is returning
to the institution where he earned a master's
degree in aeronautical science to help
launch the global Center for Aviation and
Aerospace Safety. His aviation safety leadership
role will begin in January.
Sumwalt served on the NTSB under
three presidents: George W. Bush, Barack
Obama, and Donald Trump. He began his
NTSB tenure in 2006, served as a vice chairman,
and became the fourteenth chair of the
NTSB in 2017.
" I say that I got into aviation by accident and that's true, " Sumwalt said. When he
was 17, the University of South Carolina bachelor of science student learned on the
radio of an aviation accident and drove to the site nearby. When the coroner lifted
the yellow caution tape to enter the area, Sumwalt ducked under it, too, " and there
I was on the scene of a fatal King Air crash. " He soon signed up for flying lessons,
earned his certificates and ratings, and then flight instructed " all through college. "
Sumwalt's aviation experience includes a 24-year flying career with Piedmont
Airlines and US Airways. He accumulated more than 14,000 hours on the flight deck,
and served as a flight quality assurance monitor for the airline.
Following his commercial aviation career, Sumwalt managed a corporate aviation
department in the business sector, consulted with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting
System, chaired the Air Line Pilots Association's critical incident response program,
co-founded an ALPA human factors and training group, published more than a hundred
articles on aircraft safety and accident investigation, and co-authored the book
Aircraft Accident Analysis: Final Reports.
" By joining the world's leading aviation and aerospace institution, my goal is to
continue making human mobility as safe as possible, " Sumwalt said. " I'm excited
about this opportunity and I look forward to cultivating transformative partnerships
with government and industry. " david.tulis@aopa.org
In the Pilot Lounge
Robert Sumwalt, the ERAU distinguished fellow, shared his background
and some of the inner workings of the NTSB during an AOPA Pilot Lounge
video with AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President Richard
McSpadden. aopa.org/pilot/sumwalt
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/sumwalt
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2022

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