FORT WORTH -- Texas Aviation Services announces that Carl "Woody" Woodard, the company founder and its long-serving CEO, has been named Chairman Emeritus. Woodard is a substantial shareholder in the new venture which owns Texas Aviation Services (TAS), and will remain active with the company in a consulting role beyond his formal retirement date of December 31, 2007.
Woodard's exemplary aviation career covers over half the history of powered flight, and culminated in 2007 with the FAA's Lifetime Achievement Award, at age 76. Woodard started his distinguished aviation career as a USAF Airman and Avionics Technician in 1951, with early career duties including clandestine operations in Southeast Asia, and crew service on several advanced aircraft fleets. Thirty-six years ago, Woodard started up his first aviation maintenance and avionics company, which grew over three and one-half decades to become Texas Aviation Services, a leading helicopter completions and MRO company. TAS is now the largest on-field employer and land holder at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, TX, consistently winning the coveted FAA Diamond Award for training and quality in recent years. Woodard has run the day-to-day operations continuously throughout the long, colorful history of TAS, and he has trained and mentored several generations of helicopter technicians -- literally many hundreds of rotorcraft professionals over the years.
TAS performs over 200,000 man-hours of MRO, re-wiring, avionics, retrofits, and completions on both civilian and military helicopters, in the huge, well equipped depot facilities that Woodard started from scratch. In June 2007 the FAA itself recognized his more than 55 years of excellence by awarding Woodard the rare "Charles Taylor Master Mechanic" Lifetime Achievement Award, given in honor of an entire lifetime of superior contributions and high quality helicopter services.
Steve Townes, CEO of Ranger Aerospace and Chairman of TAS, says "Woody Woodard is an example to us all. His core values of quality, safety, customer service, and FAA compliance remain our guiding principles today, just the same as the day he started this outstanding enterprise. We salute him as a mentor, leader, partner, and friend."
