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Thomas William “Tommy” Martin, Jr. was born in 1899
in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1949, Martin began operating Sioux Air, Inc. at
the Sioux City, Iowa Municipal Airport, offering crop dusting and other services.
He was an early member of the Civil Air Patrol. In the winter of 1948–49, he
flew doctors to isolated areas and delivered supplies to farm families. In
1958, Martin opened Martin Field in South Sioux City, Nebraska. He continued aerial application, flew charter
flights, and provided flight instruction and aircraft mechanical services. At
the age of seventy-nine, Martin became a licensed glider pilot and
instructor. In 1979, Martin was named Flight Instructor of the Year and
received membership in the Silver Wings. He was awarded the Legion of Merit
from 0X5 Aviation Pioneers. He was eighty years old when he flew his last
flight, checking out his grandson for his glider pilot’s license. He logged
more than 30,000 hours in fifty years of flying before he passed away in
1983.
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