Each year, Helicopter Association International (HAI) recognizes several individuals for their positive contributions to the helicopter industry. This includes the personnel who work on the front lines, the pilots and instructors who spend most of their time in the air, and those who work behind the scenes to keep aircraft flying.
HAI’s Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance Award, sponsored by Rolls-Royce, is awarded to an individual for longstanding excellence in helicopter maintenance, maintenance instruction or supervision, or a single significant contribution to helicopter maintenance.
This year, Thomas “TJ” Hall, airbase lead mechanic at Air Methods, has been honored with the award. An industry veteran, Hall has dedicated five decades to supporting the helicopter industry, and over two-and-a-half decades to helicopter maintenance on the air medical side.
“I’m standing here thinking about all the years that have been put into this and wondering, ‘How many people really put 50 years into one career in their life?'” said Hall. “It’s an honor to receive this award.”
Hall started his career in aviation at 20 years old when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the height of the Vietnam War in 1968. After going through school with the Marine Corps, he spent 12 years as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief with the force.
He then transitioned to the civilian side, obtaining his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate and going to work on a contract at Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida. From there he was hired by Era Helicopters to work in the oil industry, and eventually made his way into the air medical industry in 1992 after joining Air Methods, where he remains today as a base lead mechanic.
“There’s a certain populace of people that do EMS work, especially the field mechanics. . . . We’re out here by ourselves and we have to be able to think on our feet, troubleshoot whatever issue is at hand and put a fix to whatever we find to get aircraft back into service in a safe and economical manner [to] provide the service for the industry and the hospitals,” Hall said.
Hall believes this award gives him a voice to speak about the changes he’s seen in the air medical industry over the last 26 years — how it has advanced and how maintenance safety practices have changed to date.
“When an aircraft went out of service, you started working on that aircraft and you didn’t leave until you were finished,” he explained. “[Whether] it was 24 hours or 36 hours — whatever it took to get the aircraft back into flying status. . . .
“Nowadays, we’re restricted to a 14-hour day [with permission]. But after about 14 hours your body doesn’t function as well and your thought process and your mental processes are diminished drastically.”
Through his 50-year career, working on roughly 18 to 20 different airframes and over 100 helicopters total, Hall has seen first-hand the technological advances with rotorcraft over the years.
“From the old aircraft that I worked on in the Marine Corps compared to the aircraft I’ve been working on now… the electronics and the computerization — there’s a world of difference in the aircraft today than when I started out 50 years ago.”
The opportunity to continuously learn about the aircraft and the trade is one thing Hall loves about his job. “I always tell the guys, ‘If I don’t learn something every day or I cease to learn, I need to get out of the industry.'”
Mike Allen, Air Methods’ president and chief operating officer, commented: “TJ is more than deserving of the Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance Award from HAI, and we are honored to have him as a part of the team.
“TJ’s dedicated his life to helicopter maintenance, which alone is a testament to his character, but moreover he continues to be as committed to our mission as the day he joined the team. His resolve to ensuring that our patients have the safest and best care in the air is an example of teamwork for others around the industry.”
In addition to the support of his teammates at Air Methods, Hall acknowledged that his many years of service to the helicopter industry would not have been possible without a supportive family.
“A lot of people don’t understand what our families miss throughout the years — missed anniversaries, birthdays, [and] holidays. If it weren’t for a supporting family, this would be a dead-end position for a lot of people.”
Hall told Vertical 911 what a special honor and privilege it is to receive the Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance Award. He added, “To represent the other mechanics that I work with and the EMS industry is a big feather in everybody’s cap.”
The awards will be presented at HAI’s Salute to Excellence Awards luncheon at this year’s HAI Heli-Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, March 5 to 7.
