Author Kathleen Rodgers’ husband, Tom Rodgers, flew his final flight for American Airlines, ending nearly forty-three years flying both fighter jets and commercial airliners.

On March 21, 2013, author Kathleen Rodgers’ husband, Tom Rodgers, flew his final flight for American Airlines, ending nearly forty-three years flying both fighter jets and commercial airliners. As they say in the business, his landings equaled his takeoffs.

1) Capt. Mark Meier and First Officer Tom Rodgers on Tom’s last day at the office flying for American Airlines.

2) Kathleen Rodgers in right seat of 767 cockpit before her husband Tom took the jet to LAX. She got bumped from his final flight due to over sales. Later that day she headed back to the airport and was able to meet his flight and capture the moment when two fire trucks met them on the taxiway with a water cannon salute.

3) Flight 2446 arriving from LAX into DFW for Tom’s retirement flight. Tom’s high school classmate, George W Denninghoff, captured this historic photo for the Rodgers’ family.

4) Tom’s last flight. Water cannon salute at DFW Airport.

5) Water cannon salute photo taken from the ramp tower at DFW Airport as the plane taxies in.

6) Kathleen Rodgers with longtime friend, Cindy Marsh Mabry, Capt. Chris Wood, and an AA gate agent outside the jet bridge as Tom’s 767 rolls under the water cannon salute. The sound of the jet engines mixed with the wind reminded the author of her husband’s fighter pilot days.

7) Crew of Flight 2446…Tom’s retirement flight.

8) The day Tom lost his rudder at 50,000 feet in his F-111 over the skies of New Mexico, circa 1979. He wrote about this for Daedalus Flyer and Wingsoverkansas.

http://www.wingsoverkansas.com/features/a1318/