Wing Walking with Delta Pilot Tom Whittles

In the Tom Whittles clan, the aviation acorn does not fall too far from the tree.  But it can still take flight.   
 
Now wearing the uniform of Delta Air Lines, Whittles is the third generation in his family to make beautiful machines overcome the laws of gravity. 

His grandfather was a member of "the Greatest Generation," serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  Grandpa's son and Tom's dad -- Jim Whittles -- has been part of the WMU College of Aviation faculty for 20-plus years and is currently a lead flight instructor. 
 
If the aviation gene for the 2013 graduate of the college with a degree in flight science was not part of Whittles' DNA, it was very, very close.  Raised in Holland, Mich., on the Great Lakes shoreline and a 2009 alumnus of West Ottawa High School, Whittles says he's "been around small airplanes literally before I was born.  Dad was part owner of a small flight school and managed the local airport.  Being around airplanes was just part of life." 
 
Much of his free time growing up was spent devouring flight-simulation videos and anticipating the next version.  But flying with his father on what he called weekend "blue bird days" is "what hooked me.  When flying, you are simply free from everything else." 
 
He vividly recalls being around 8 years old on those flights.  "I was still not tall enough to see over the dash," he says, "let alone look at the rudders.  So I sat on a stack of phone books and flotation pads to sneak a peek over the dash." 

Flying -- "with no particular place to go" as rock icon Chuck Berry sang -- along the Lake Michigan coast and, almost on a whim, landing at this or that airport for lunch was the epitome of fun for a young lad.  Although it was etched in him that he wanted someday to be a private pilot, little did he know he was charting a career course. 
 
As a senior in high school, he considered an engineering pathway and Western Michigan's program in that discipline was high on the list because it "was just far enough away (no more than 50 miles) that I would feel that I left home for college.  But also that year, I was still flying with my dad and it dawned on me that I could get paid for doing exactly that. Shameless plug time -- it just so happened that WMU has the best flight school and best instructor (Jim Whittles) in the world." 
 
Initially, he was not affiliated with the College of Aviation when it came to a campus job.  He logged two years at the university's maintenance warehouse, duty that he found beneficial.  Assigned the "tedious" task of parts inventory, he learned the importance of being detail-oriented and the power of organization.  Another plus was that he had a flexible work schedule because his supervisor realized that aviation was a priority and crafted his time sheet accordingly. 
 
By the time he was a junior and armed with all the necessary ratings and credentials, Whittles joined the squad of flight instructors for the College of Aviation, a post he described as "challenging yet fun, and ultimately rewarding seeing the students smile after a successful checkride.  It was a unique part in my career because there is never a dull moment with students." 

Not long after graduation, SkyWest Airlines started signing his paychecks.  Headquartered in Utah, SkyWest serves several major air carriers (including Delta) with a fleet of nearly 500 planes (CRJ 200s, 700s and 900s) and more than 1,000 flights daily to 239 destinations from 11 hubs, one of which is Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.  That's where Whittles was based.  He called it "an eye-opener to speed, from my first jet to an O'Hare ground controller.  My first day was a blur, but still a career highlight because my dad was able to ride along -- this time with a particular place to go. 
 
Two years into the five he spent with SkyWest, he was elevated to captain.  In January of 2020, Delta tapped him to pilot Boeing 717s out of New York City.  A pre-requisite was the completion of IOE (Initial Operating Experience) that consists of a checkride in a simulator and a supervisory flight with "a special captain."  All of that was in his rear-view mirror when what in front of the world became Covid 19. 

Basically grounded before he was ever able to begin, Whittles kept his skills in top shape by flying a King Air 200 for RAI Jets, a charter and aviation-management enterprise located near the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.  He's now back in the Delta family and assigned to fly an Airbus A320 out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  His airlines' recruitment program also picked him to be its liaison with the College of Aviation and its coming graduates.  That will bring him back to campus on a regular basis, which is not new since the senior Mr. Whittles has utilized his son as a professional resource for his courses. 
 
"I try to give real answers to what the industry is like -- pros and cons," Whittles says.  "There are always new questions and I enjoy seeing their eagerness to progress in their careers."   
 
He can relate some great memories of Western as well, such as his first solo -- to think that he was really doing all this by himself.  Then there was graduation day -- walking across the stage of Miller Auditorium, with this father right there to hug, and his siblings cheering from the audience to signify that "I really did it." 
 
He credits "doing it" to instructors such as Gary Urban and Joe Opaski, for their intelligence, patience and niceness.  There's faculty specialist Merv Elliott with his "soft-spoken English accent" and entertaining classes.  Dominic Nicolai, also a lead flight instructor, pushed for perfection in his demanding commercial ground school course that made Whittles strive to become even more detail-oriented.  Chief instructor Rob Bunday paved the way for Whittles to move into the flight-instructor phase of his training and his academic education with lessons that applied as much to life as they did to the aviation industry. 

These caring folks and others in the college helped Whittles hurdle "bumps in the road" during his Western years, but also gave him the perspective to persevere the looming mountain -- the pandemic that iced the planet.  "I got into the industry as the engines lit on the rocket with nowhere to go but up.  The pandemic put a swift stop to that, just as I was about to start my dream job at Delta.  Having to adapt and adjust has been challenging for everyone.  Coming up with a Plan B that was possibly outside of aviation was a tough pill to swallow.  But there is a bright future once again." 

Whittles is looking forward to a "Back to the Future" experience when it comes to what he "loves about the job."  He cites the "spectrum of people I interact with on a daily basis, from the other pilot, the flight attendants, gate agents, and, of course, the passengers.  There is always something to learn from someone.  It's a people-centric industry and I love that aspect of it.  Every day is filled with something different, even on a route I have flown 10 times in the last month." 
 
There is nothing like the "young kids, full of excitement, who come on board chatting about planes and flying," Whittles says.  "It's fun to invite them to the flight deck and show them around.  They're shy at first, but we push a few buttons and they get to feeling comfortable and laughing.  I always give then the chance to make a welcome-aboard announcement to the passengers."  Hopefully, the passengers are not concerned that the voice -- presumably that of the captain -- sounds child-like. 
 
Not only with youngsters boarding a plane, Whittles is also a flying billboard when it comes to promoting the WMU College of Aviation.  He's had many a conversation with SkyWest pilots who have children interested in following a parent into the aviation industry.  "They asked me about WMU and the benefits of the program," Whittles says.  "If it was on a flight, I spent the better part of the air time detailing what the College of Aviation and Western as a university have to offer." 

That ilk of a message is also delivered to his five nieces and nephews.  There is another messenger as well, other than Grandpa Jim.  Tom's girlfriend, Liz, is training to become a Delta flight attendant. 
 
Need another selling point?  Whittles' passport is stamped to indicate visits to London, Munich for Oktoberfest, Amsterdam, and Tokyo.  None is required for a stopover in Maui.  Next on his bucket list -- Covid willing -- is Greece, Dublin and Iceland.  He's also been to nearly all of the 50 states, plus Canada and Mexico. 

Whenever he's not golfing, snowboarding, hunting, hiking or camping, Whittles will be training for half-marathons or heading for his favorite continental "overnight" destination -- Kalispel, Mont., and the Glacier National Park 30 miles away. 
 
In his immediate future is to occupy "the right seat of a Delta jet in the coming months," Whittles says.  "I plan to stay on the A320 for a while and hopefully will make it to captain in the not-too-distant future.  Ultimately, I hope to make it on a wide body like the A350." 
 
No doubt about it!  Tom Whittles is a chip off the old aviation block.