Jeff Seideman Aviation History
Jeff was a jet engine mechanic in the USAF based at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Naha AFB, Okinawa. He was discharged from the Air Force in May 1963 and was hired by Pan American Airlines at JFK in June 1963 as an aircraft mechanic on DC-8’s & B-707’s. In August 1964 he was hired by Lockheed Aircraft at Luke AFB, Phoenix, Arizona as an aircraft mechanic on Lockheed F-104’s and later that year he worked for Lockheed as an aircraft mechanic on the A-12’s (single seat spy plane version of the SR-71) at the Kelly Johnson Skunk Works, AKA Area-51 & other names. For 18 months he would fly to work from Burbank Airport on Connie’s for either a one or two week stay at the Skunk Works and when back in the Los Angeles area would take flying lessons at Hawthorne Airport, eventually obtaining a Private/Commercial/Multi-Engine & Instrument license and Flight Engineer Reciprocating & Turbo Prop & Jet Engine as well as an Aircraft & Powerplant (A&P) license.
He was hired by Flying Tigers at LAX on August 22, 1966 as a flight engineer on the CL-44 and during a furlough, he was flight testing a one of a kind guppied up CL-44 for Jack Conroy with Lockheed test pilot Herman Salmon, AKA Fish Salmon & Jim Seymour at Edwards AFB from first flight through to FAA Certification. After being recalled back to Tigers, he went on to Flight Engineer & First Officer & Captain on the DC-8-63 flying passengers & cargo. He later became a First Officer & Captain on B-747-200’s also flying passengers and cargo. After the merger with FedEx, he flew B-747’s & DC-10’s as captain on both.
He retired in June 2002 after a thirty-six-year flying career and twenty years later he was still in total disbelief how lucky he was to have flown the most exciting and demanding global routs and charters to six of the seven continents with the greatest people from all departments at the most fun airline ever, Flying Tigers.
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