As the College of Technology’s May 2014 graduates complete their time at Purdue, we are profiling a few and finding out their future plans and how they arrived at this point in their lives.
Tim Gleeson, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Flight instructor (to log the flight hours required by the FAA for Restricted-Airline Transport Pilot (R-TAP) certification) for Trident Aircraft in Easton, Maryland
Education
Bachelor’s degree in professional flight
Job duties
- Teach primary students and students seeking advanced ratings in small piston aircraft
- Provide flight reviews to currently licensed pilots
- Fly aircraft maintenance and repositioning flights
- Fly as substitute copilot on company turbine airplanes
Purdue classes that helped Tim for his job
- Our turbine flight laboratories, specifically the Phenom 100 jet and simulator course. Purdue has very valuable training about working in a crew environment, which we will do for the rest of our careers. In the simulator, we train for all normal procedures and all imaginable emergencies. Our leadership skills are tested and fine-tuned with the intent of us graduating as people who can be airplane captains (the ultimate goal for most). We also fly on business trips for the university and get real-world experience flying into major airports and in all kinds of weather
- I got a lot out of our weather classes and human factors classes that are taught in a practical manner that students can easily apply to the flying we do every day. The nice thing about my program is that many of the classes teach material that we need to know for our careers, not just to pass a test and forget.
Other ways the College of Technology and/or Purdue provided preparation and assistance
There are so many opportunities to take advantage of that make me and other students well-rounded individuals. I was able to develop first name relationships with most of my faculty within Aviation Technology Department and the College of Technology. I am comfortable approaching the faculty for anything, and they are always able to help. Purdue has a very good aviation reputation and network that I have been able to capitalize on. We have lots of deep connections to those in the industry, which is educational and often times helps students find jobs.
Thanks go to:
- My family for the continued support and encouragement.
- Lisa Lewis, former Purdue Beechjet captain and my supervisor whom I spent more hours on an airplane with than any other single person.
- Thomas Carney for the opportunity to fly Purdue’s Beechjet and increase my knowledge about weather in the classroom and strapped into the airplane.
- All my flight instructors and faculty who taught me what I know and helped shape me as the pilot I am today, including: Larry Gross, Bernie Wulle, Mitch Grundman, and Steve Perkins.
- The AT support staff who make everything work smoothly, who help keep students on track to graduate and be successful