THOMAS SPURA

Thomas Spura is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner based in Endicott, New York, who conducts practical tests exclusively for the airplane-single-engine-land category. Awarded the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in July 2024 for maintaining 50 consecutive years of safe flight operations, Spura's aviation background spans five decades of general aviation experience beginning with his first solo circa 1974. Professionally, he spent much of his career as a senior systems engineer and researcher at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, where he co-authored academic papers and secured patents on autonomous flight systems, UAV command-and-control architectures, and human-machine interfaces. Today, he is an active flight instructor at Aero Techniques, LLC at the Greater Binghamton Airport (KBGM) and serves as a board member and primary contact for the Biggles Flying Club. Additionally, Spura represents the local general aviation community on the Greater Binghamton Airport Advisory Board, a public service role to which he was appointed in September 2023.