Tom Klassen - Air Show Pilot

"Tiger" Tom Klassen lives in Tulsa, OK. Born and raised in the Midwest, Tom got an early start in aviation. He received a flight for his fourteenth birthday and was instantly hooked. He received his private pilot's license and while attending Oklahoma State University, a ride in a helicopter changed his life. Tom decided at that time to become a commercial helicopter and airplane pilot. At age 19 he flew helicopters off of Mexican tuna fishing boats spotting tuna in Central America and started a career that has spanned the globe.

Some of Tom's flying adventures include helicopter logging in Alaska, flying tours around the Hawaiian islands, bush flying in the mountains of New Guinea, flying "Skyeye 4" for WBZ-TV in Boston, cruising around in an aircraft in Poland, buzzing down the Moscow River at 50 feet in a Russian jet, and almost everything else you can do with an aircraft. Of all of his experiences some of his most rewarding flying came when flying air rescue in Iowa, Arizona, and Missouri.

Tom has acquired over 9000 hours of flight experience and has been flying for over 20 years. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot license with multiple jet type ratings with commercial pilot privileges for single engine aircraft, helicopters and gliders. Tom has flown in hundreds of performances since 1996 and holds a FAA unrestricted (surface) aerobatic waiver card.

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