The Lechota Legacy - Tom and Tim Take Off with Aviation

WMU Alumnus Tim Lachota
Posted by Matthew Bila on

Published by Tom Thinnes on Wed, Apr 15, 2015

People often asked Hank Williams Jr. why he did certain things -- a lot of them bad. In song and verse, Hank provided one of his trademarked replies, saying he was simply carrying on the “family tradition.”

WMU Alumni Tim and Tom Lechota

For Tom and Tim Lechota, the family tradition has revolved around two things: aviation and Western Michigan University.

Originally, Tom Lechota was a “car guy.” Growing up in Flint, Mich., it was hard not to be. The automobile industry permeated the city. Young Tom had visions of following his father into the Lechota’s original tradition – cars. “I wanted to be an auto mechanic,” Lechota recalls "My Dad was a special auto mechanic for AC Spark Plug, which would later become AC-Delco. When the company came out with special gauges, my Dad would install them to test.” Combined with his Uncle Joe’s employment at Buick, the automotive industry was having a profound effect on the young lad.

But, based on his experience, the senior Lechota was determined to prevent his son from following in his footsteps. Little did the elder Lechota realize that all it would take was a visit to the local airport. On that fateful day, 10-year-old Tom accompanied his father to work. AC engineers were at the airport testing their latest product on a Bonanza in the Buick hangar, which became a regular stomping ground for the boy. “As I was in the Buick hangar watching the AC guys working on a fuel- injection system,” Lechota recalls, “I looked across the airfield. Landing was a squadron of Army/National Guard C-130s. Soon after landing, the backs open up and all of the soldiers exited. To say I was hooked was an understatement. From these experiences, aviation got into my blood.” His father had succeeded -- no automotive world for his impressionable son. Young Tom had his sights set higher: aviation!

After eight agonizingly long years, Tom Lechota found himself right where he wanted to be. As a high school graduate, he enrolled at Flint Junior College to pursue a degree in aviation flight technology. The seeds planted eight years earlier were bearing fruit: Lechota was going to be a pilot. As the school evolved into Genesee Community College (later to be renamed again as Mott Community College), the neophyte Lechota progressed into a certified pilot. “In typical aviation fashion, the two-year program at Genesee took me three years to complete,” he said. For many Michigan aviators, the blessings and the challenges of Michigan weather have always had an impact.

The Lechota Family Aviation Supporters left to right: Grandpa, Grandma, Nancy, Aimee, and Jennifer during Tim

Graduating in 1973, Lechota looked at his options. “At the time, you needed a four-year degree to break into the industry,” said Lechota. “I looked at several programs: Purdue, Western Michigan University, Parks College. Ultimately, I opted to attend WMU. Probably the biggest reason was the articulation agreements that existed between the University and Genesee Community College. Just about everything I took transferred.”

By 1974, there was more on Tom’s mind than aviation. After one year in the WMU program, Tom took off into the world of matrimony, marrying his sweetheart Nancy Bagby. She took a teaching position with the Kalamazoo Public Schools, helping to establish roots in the community. With a new wife and still working on his degree, Lechota followed the advice of Harley Behm, head of the WMU aviation program at the time, and pursued an airport internship in Kalamazoo. When offered the position, Lechota jumped at the chance, spending the entire year at the airport instead of the usual six months.

With opportunities falling in place for the young aviation professional, Lechota opted to pursue two other options for his resume. “I looked at the requirements,” he recalled, “and I only needed two more semesters to qualify for my airframe and powerplant (A&P) license. I figured, why not? The A&P will look good on my resume. That’s the only reason I did it.” For a similar reason, Lechota chose to minor in business as well. Taking advantage of these choices would have a profound impact on his later life.

Lechota walked across the stage in 1976 to grab his WMU degree. As a licensed pilot with an A&P, a minor in business, and significant aviation experience, he was poised for the next phase in a budding career – the job search.

With qualifications in three aspects of aviation, Lechota initially chose to follow the management track. Investigating an opportunity in Denver, the eager graduate learned a harsh lesson. “Stapleton Airport in Denver was looking for an ‘administration assistant’ at the time” Lechota said. “Unfortunately, this was a civil-service job and the company received 600 applicants for one position.” Not to be deterred, the job search continued.

Next was a phone interview with Welch Aviation in Alpena, Mich. “I was literally hired over the phone with the company wanting to know when I could start,” said Lechota. This began a great summer working as an A&P. So much for the A&P just to spruce up the resume!

While working for Welch, Lechota witnessed all sorts of great military aircraft. “Not only would F-4s land at the airfield, so would 50 to 60 C-130s at a time. There were so many, the last to land would have to park on the runway,” Lechota said. The C-130s were loaded with railroad ties that would then be flown and dropped over Grayling. The only negative to the job was the fact his wife was still in Kalamazoo where roots were being established. Making his way back to the southwestern part of the Mitten State, Lechota was hired by Kal-Aero where he spent the next six years. Starting out on single-engine aircraft, Lechota moved to twins, then big twins, and ended his tenure with Kal-Aero in the jet shop. He also spent six months in the War Bird shop, working for the legendary Maurice Hovious. While he thought the first six months at Welch was fun, this experience continues to compete for the best part of his career.

Fate can be fickle, and fruitful. Had Lechota decided not to spend the extra two semesters at WMU, he may have missed a great opportunity. Had he not returned to Kalamazoo to work for Kal-Aero, he may have missed out on another. Lechota was working on Citations when Amway brought its aircraft in for service. Amway became very impressed with his work ethic and dedication to detail.

When Amway purchased its 727, Lechota was offered the “aircraft cleaner” position posted by the Grand Rapids-based enterprise. Because he had too much experience, he turned down the offer. However, the company had its sights locked in on Lechota and offered him the position of crew chief one month later in 1983, launching a 31-year run at Amway.

While hired for the Citation and fixed-wing team, Lechota eventually moved into the rotary-wing division. “Looking back on this, I’m not sure why helicopters interested me,” he said. “My only experience was on Herm Linder’s Hiller at WMU.” What began as a mild interest developed into a lifelong career, with Lechota spending 22 years on Amway’s helicopter airframe.

In addition to duties as an A&P, Lechota, like other Amway employees, was trained as a flight attendant, which brought the opportunity to fly the world. Lechota has logged several trips around the world and visited six of the seven continents. “We tried to hit all seven,” he said. “Once we were on the very tip of South America, the other we were in Christchurch, New Zealand, which is the jumping-off point to Antarctica. While at those destinations, we asked ‘How can we get down there?’ While in Christchurch, we spent weeks trying to find an answer!”

The year before Lakota’s pivotal career move to Amway, he also experienced a pivotal change in his personal life: the birth of his first son. Tim Lechota was born while his father still worked at Kal-Aero. In an interesting twist of fate, the institution that paid for his birth would eventually pay him for his skill set.

Tim is the oldest of the three Lechota children, growing up with brother Nick and sister Aimee. Tim was infected with the aviation bug at an early age. “All I’ve ever known is aviation,” he said. “Airplanes have surrounded me my whole life.” Unlike the patriarch of the family, Tim’s initial interest always revolved around the mechanical end of aviation. “Fortunately for me, my Dad worked on a rotating weekend schedule at Amway,” Lechota recalled. “Dad would wake me up at 4 a.m. and we would head out to the Amway hangar where I would get to hang out all day.”

Lachota and flight instructor Pat Langworthy

Being “baptized in av-fuel” seemed part of the Lechota household's way of life. When Tim wasn’t visiting the hangar, he was working on ways to expand his aviation footprint. Not to be satisfied by his “first flight” on May 9, 1983 – a few months after his birth – Tim started to quench his thirst for aviation. While most kids longed for G.I. Joes and Transformers for their birthdays, Tim held out for flight lessons, which his parents provided the young aviator each year. “What an experience. I was young and learning to fly,” Lechota said. “Mostly I flew the Cessna 150. If I was lucky, I got the 172.”

By high school, Tim was looking for any and all aviation opportunities, but not many options were available. Once again, fate was kind. With his mother in education, he was able to make connections that would help secure his future.

Knowing her son’s passion for aviation, Nancy Lechota approached Christine Dahl at the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency about aviation opportunities for high school students in Kalamazoo County. What would become K-RESA’s Education for Employment program in aviation placed Tim at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo for his senior year. While there, Lechota worked on a variety of aviation projects. His design and manufacturing talents can still be seen on the Dauntless for which he designed the twin-gun mount located at the back of the aircraft. He did the paint scheme on the T-33 as well.

Lachota during one of his internship experiences

With graduation looming, Tim pondered higher education. “For me, choice of a career and where to study was a no-brainer,” Lechota said. “Unlike my Dad, I was going into maintenance and my fallback was flight. Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation was my first and only choice. Not only is it a great program, it is also right in my own back yard. With the fact my Dad is an alumnus, I looked no further than WMU.”

Upon arrival in the aviation world of WMU, Tim quickly learned the valuable lesson about networking and making connections. Leveraging a relationship between his teaching mother and the parent of one of her pupils, Lechota was able to open doors at WMU. The father of one of his mother’s kindergartners was Bill Feenstra, the head of maintenance at WMU’s College of Aviation. Connections can come from the craziest combinations.

Entering WMU with his EFE experience and a portfolio of detailed records, Lechota was recruited by Feenstra to intern in the WMU Fleet Maintenance Department. Although his mother’s connections helped, the well-versed youth sealed the deal himself. Lechota was instrumental in re-establishing the College of Aviation internship in fleet maintenance.

While at Western, Tim was recruited by the company that helped pay for his birth. Now known as Duncan Aviation, the company pursued him in a variety of capacities. “They wanted me to intern with them for several years, “he said. “However, at the time, the better fit for me was to stay at WMU. I was very involved in the WMU Fleet Maintenance Department, and really enjoyed what I was doing.” Lechota specialized on the Seneca airframe, working with the department from 2002 to 2006, first as an intern and then as a part-time A&P.

After graduating, Lechota went to work for Duncan in 2006. Based on his experiences, the Challenger team and the Learjet team at Duncan sought his services. Squaring off like the Jets and Sharks in “West Side Story,” the two airframe teams made their pitch. “The decision was pretty easy. I’m a big guy and I didn’t want to get stuck in a little aircraft!” The Challenger team won the challenge.

While at Duncan, Lechota worked on every business jet under the sun. However, more valuable than the work experience, was the networking opportunities. “People come to Duncan from all over,” Lechota recalls. “Many of the decision-makers, such as the pilot or director of maintenance, remain with the plane during the work. These people notice things: experience, quality, dedication and much more. These connections can lead to other jobs with other companies.”

Much like his father, monumental changes in employment accompanied monumental changes in his personal life. The same year Lechota was transitioning to Duncan Aviation, he married Jennifer Long, a WMU alumna of the College of Health and Human Services. With her job as an ER nurse, the second Lechota family would make another connection that would propel their lives.

Lechota said he knew a change was imminent. “While I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Duncan, I knew I didn’t want to do service center work for my entire life,” he said. “I had my sights on getting into the operational side of things. Secondary to that, I wanted in the helicopter market.”

While at a convention, wife Jennifer made a connection with AirCare. The company wanted to bring its maintenance in-house to help contain and control costs. Jennifer introduced Tim to the head of maintenance at AirCare. While still at Duncan, Lechota moonlighted as a contract employee with AirCare on Fridays and Saturdays. Lechota impressed AirCare with his reliability, responsibility and fairness, especially with billing. AirCare had found its man. Now, the parties needed to make it work.

Much like everything, all good things come to those who wait. The process to clear the job took some time. All the while Lechota continued to stay in touch. In September of 2010, Tim Lechota was hired full time with AirCare, where he is still employed. Both

Western Michigan University and aviation have impacted the Lechota families. Tom and Tim are alumni, Tom’s wife Nancy earned a master’s from the University, while daughter Aimee graduated with a degree in social work. The memories of WMU and the aviation program are strong and deep. Tom easily recalls some of the aviation greats who walked the halls at WMU: Clarence Van Deventer, Herb Linder, Curt Swanson, Larry Hoikka and John Cummins. For Tim, recollections of Pat Benton and Martin Grant make him smile. Not to be forgotten is Pat Langworthy, who instructed Tim in almost all of his flight courses. Tim was also the recipient of the Herm Linder Scholarship while a student in 2005.

Traditions can help to establish the fabric of a family and be carried on for generations. Fortunately for the Michigan aviation industry, Tom’s tradition transcended the automotive world and “landed” in the field of aviation. His journey brought him to WMU and Kalamazoo where he would sink his roots. These traditions, both aviation and WMU, were passed on to his children, especially Tim. Expect the next generation to keep them going.