TWA Legend Vice President of Engineering D. W. "Tommy"Tomlinson April 28, 1897 - January 7, 1996

Chief Research Test Pilot for Transcontinental and Western Air Naval Captain

Navy Pilot of the 1920s, Tomlinson's Navy "Sea Hawks" were the predesessors to the "Blue Angels"

"THE SKY'S THE LIMIT" written by Tomlinson in 1930, but for Tommy... the sky was not limit.

Naval Air Transport ...WWII

Know as a Champion Flyer of the 1920s, Famous High Altitude Test Pilot of the 1930s...Engineer of the Douglas Transport, DC-1, his specs for TWA set Donald Douglas in the forefront of passenger transportation with the DC-2 and DC-3.

Paul E. Richter Jr., Executive Vice President of T.W.A., presents Tommy Tomlinson with a trophy, for yet another high altitude record... the "Paramount Pictures Gold Cup" for outstanding achievement in Aviation.

Above article submitted by Patrick Chateau of T.W.A.

Tomlinson and the NX-13758, December 1936 TWA File Photo

This advertisement shows Tommy center, in his TWA Captain's uniform, and to the left, stepping into his Northrop Gamma NX-13758. "He outflew the weather for Extra Speed"

Northrop Gamma NX-13758 ,"Overweather Experimental Laboratory" Made famous by Tommy Tomlinson.

A true pioneer of the stratosphere... Tomlinson in the Northrop Gamma. TWA File Photo

This Transcontinental and Western Air ad ran in the New York Times, May 1, 1935.    Fabulous material coming soon in Tommy's own words.

DC-1, TWA R 223Y, number 300, after the record breaking Trans-Continental flight,  piloted by D.W. (Tommy) Tomlinson. April 30, 1935,  11 hours 5 minutes, Los Angeles to New York.    TWA File Photo

The Early Years.............

written in  1930

1928

Apologies for the construction site There are so many wonderful stories of this Ace Airman. This entire website is dedicated to the true history of TWA and the many men and women that are "the Spirit of TWA". Watch for the TWA Spirit site this winter

Return To: Paul Richter TWA Legend

Some materials for this Webpage came from D.W "Tommy" Tomlinson's book "The Sky's the Limit," published in 1930, (as submitted by Ruth Richter.)