This piece originally ran in the September 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
Tom Ewing, EAA 446994, was surrounded by aviation history since birth, coming from a family of military aviators, so he has always been fascinated with the stories and legacy. He never knew any other way of living other than in the sky. His grandfather was a stateside Curtiss Jenny instructor pilot during World War I at Kelly Field in Texas in 1917. His aunt was one of the 80 Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) navigators — the first U.S. military female air crew members — serving on Douglas R4Ds. His uncle was a commanding officer of the 57th Troop Carrier Squadron in the South Pacific in World War II and flew B-17s, C-47s, and C-46s. And his dad was a private pilot. It was only a matter of time before Tom became a pilot himself.
He earned his private pilot certificate at 17, his commercial at 18, and his ATP at 23. He used all of this training to become the first UPS pilot building its infrastructure for air operations in 1981. He retired after 34 years in 2015. But his passion for flying didn’t die there.
That same year he began volunteer work at EAA in the Living History Flight Experience (LHFE) program after being a member for more than 30 years. As a pilot in the program, he’s been responsible for many flights in EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast and B-25 Berlin Express, which are meant to educate people about the service of WWII veterans.
“[Loved ones] want to go fly in the plane, and they’d want to bring an urn with the ashes of their World War II grandfather that flew that plane in World War II or the flags that covered the coffins of their grandfathers,” Tom explained. “Those kind of things really, really hit you when they bring those out.”
The historical significance these types of aircraft have in America is huge. More than 12,000 B-17s were made, and more than half of them never made it home; only a few dozen survive today, mostly in museums. The B-25, best known for its role in the Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942, survives in somewhat greater numbers, but fewer than 50 are believed to remain in flying condition.
“It doesn’t take any superhuman aviating abilities to go fly these planes, but what [is needed] are people that are inspired by it and want to … pass along this history,” he said. “And so that’s the main thing that we can do. And the main thing that we all do is — if we can touch some family member and maybe inspire them to go in and carry this history on because these people changed the world.”
Tom, like all of our volunteers, is an irreplaceable member of EAA, with a passion that can’t be matched.
“Tom is truly instrumental to our B-25 program,” said Jen Lowry, program manager of air tours and aircraft maintenance and operations. “He lives and breathes EAA, and his dedication shows — he developed our entire B-25 training system, including a detailed series of videos that help pilots begin their training at home before arriving to training.”
Everything that Tom has done for EAA just proves that his heart is dedicated to aviation, but also to helping others.
Volunteers make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — and just about everything else EAA does — possible. This space in EAA Sport Aviation is dedicated to thanking and shining the spotlight on volunteers from the community. Sadly, it cannot capture all of the thousands of volunteers who give so much to the community every year. So, next time you see a volunteer at AirVenture or elsewhere, however they are pitching in to make EAA better, be sure to thank them for it. It’s the least we can do. Do you know a volunteer you’d like to nominate for Volunteer Spotlight? Visit EAA.org/Submissions.