Family, friends help former pilot fly wild blue yonder again

When 84-year-old Jay Thompson first moved to Cottonwood in May, he didn’t quite get why there were complaints about airport noise.

Having spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and growing up interested in aviation, he just thought it was neat.

“‘Why would anyone complain about that?’” his daughter, Danielle Matthews, remembered him said after arriving.

In the 34 years since the lieutenant colonel retired, he’s missed his time in the air. When he mentioned it to his daughter, she reached out to Verde Valley residents — including Ken Wood in Cottonwood and James Iacovacci in Cornville — to see if she’d be able to find a way for him to fly again.

Iacovacci contacted Bluebird Air Tours of Sedona, an air tour company. Without hesitation, owner Brad Tulin and his sons, Tanner and Trevor, offered to make this wish come true.

On Wednesday morning, July 29, Thompson flew out of the Sedona Airport for a trip around Sedona in what was called “Operation Freedom Flight.”

“As Tanner expertly landed his Cessna 172, I wished the day could have gone on forever,” Thompson wrote after the flight. “It was a beautiful Arizona day; clear blue skies and I was flying once again after many years.”

Taking Off

Thompson’s granddaughter, Leah Thompson, interviewed him as a high school junior for an essay titled “Sound of Freedom” in 2024.

“He followed his dreams and took flying lessons as a junior in high school, flying an Aeronca Champion,” she wrote. “He made a solo flight after eight hours and spent a total of 15 hours in the Aeronca Champion.”

Her paper was for the nationwide project called Imprint of Honor, formerly the Veteran’s Heritage Project.

“It connects high school students with veterans to interview, record and write down their stories, which are published in an annual book ‘Since You Asked,’ and stored in the Library of Congress,” Matthews wrote.

Future Pilot

Jay Thompson arrived at The Ohio State University in 1960, where he enrolled in the U.S. Air Force ROTC program.

“After taking aptitude tests for flight training, and flying a Piper Cherokee at Ohio State, he took the Air Force Officer Qualification Test, a necessary checkpoint in becoming a pilot,” Leah Thompson wrote.

He completed his private pilot’s license through the program with just 37 hours in the air. If attending a certified flight school like OSU, students could earn their licenses in just 35 hours, instead of the usually required 40.

Jay Thompson met his wife, Christel Herold, while attending college, and she accompanied him in his USAF training following graduation.

“When he knew she was watching, he would always do a victory roll for her,” Leah Thompson wrote. “To do this, he would fly in a tight upward slope until, at the peak, he would let his plane fall downwards and then direct it into a barrel roll, pulling up at the last second. This maneuver was always done [as] a gift for Christel.”

Cruising

In his time in the Air Force, he logged 4,211 hours as a pilot of a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, whose main job is to refuel other aircraft. He flew in the Vietnam War out of his home base at Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

He also flew in the first Gulf War, including operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

“They would connect via a hose or ‘boom’ that was manned with a remote control,” Leah Thompson wrote. “He refueled planes such as the B-52 and B-66 bombers, F-100s, F-5s, F-105s, F-4Cs and U-2s allowing them to stay in the air for a much longer time in order to complete their missions.”

During his time abroad, including at bases in Thailand and Okinawa, Japan, his wife would sometimes visit him as a tourist, and they’d find things to do together, including horseback riding.

“The horses belonged to American permanent parties, who would allow Jay and Christel to rent the horses so they would get the animals exercised,” Leah Thompson wrote. “They would ride through the thick, humid jungle and explore the areas around the base.”

He came out of active duty in 1973, later joining the Air National Guard in Pittsburgh. His career included assignments with Strategic Air Command, Mobility Command and the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh [the 147th Air Refueling Squadron].

“In October 1990 he served temporary duty in the Persian Gulf War,” Leah Thompson wrote. “He was stationed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea, where he flew Air Refueling Missions over Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.”

Final Approach

“Jay flew his last ever flight on December 22, 1992, with the Air National Guard in Pennsylvania,” she wrote. “It was a cold, crisp morning and Jay stopped at McDonald’s to share breakfast and his excited anticipation for his mission with local Murrysville townsfolk.”

His return landing was met with water from the base fire truck and champaign, as is Air Force tradition.

By the time Leah Thompson interviewed and wrote her story on her grandfather, all of his kids had moved to Arizona close to the Verde Valley, including Leah, who attended Flagstaff High School. He’d been in Pennsylvania for half a century, but decided he wanted to be closer to them all.

When Tanner Tulin heard about the goal for Jay Thompson to fly one last time, he was all in.

“We started off in Sedona,” Tulin said after the flight. “And then made our way down to Cottonwood and the Mingus Mountain area … Showed him his house from above.”

“At 84, I relished being in a small plane next to an amazing young and personable pilot,” Thompson wrote. “The hour flight was filled with excitement, exhilaration and wonder. Cruising over the beautiful Sedona red rocks and next to the Mingus Mountain was awe inspiring.”

While up in the air, he got to talking with him about his history and time flying in the Air Force.

“He was able to solo after only eight hours, which is a very short amount of time,” Tulin said.

Tulin said Thompson shadowed him a bit on the joystick throughout the flight, and got a feel for flying again.

“I was filled with gratitude for all who made this adventure happen for me,” Thompson wrote. “It has been an unforgettable moment in my life; second-to-none.”