09/06/2026
Congratulations to our very own Ryan Newman on his retirement! Mr. Newman has an impressive and extensive history of service to the U.S. Army and the FAA, including service with the Green Berets, participation in Operation Desert Storm, promotion to CW5, airline captain for Northwest Airlink, and working as an FAA Safety Team Program Manager. Chapter 35 is incredibly fortunate to see involvement from members with such a remarkable depth of experience.
Mr. Newman started his Army career early, joining right after graduating high school. He began as a Combat Engineer training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, followed by Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA. His early assignments include being a paratrooper in Vincenza, Italy. By the time he left Italy, he was a Sergeant, and the only E-5 jumpmaster in the battalion. He also earned British Jump Wings.
Mr. Newman continued at Fort Bragg, NC, in the 7th Special Forces Group (also known as the Green Berets), and there became perhaps the youngest Master Parachutist in the entire Army! After his acceptance into flight training, he continued his upward climb, being promoted to Staff Sergeant. He graduated in 1985, having completed flight training and earning a Blackhawk transition. Among his Aviation assignments were 7th Cavalry (Custer’s Cav) in Korea, followed by an assignment as a Medevac Pilot at Seoul Air Base. During this time, he met his wife, Carol, who at the time worked as an Army Nurse Corps Officer.
Three and a half years of service later, Mr. Newman was assigned as a Medevac Pilot for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY, followed by four months in Honduras. He returned home for the birth of his son, Christopher, and was deployed to Saudi Arabia just five months later. There he served as Pilot-in-Command of the first Medevac Helicopter in theater for Operation Desert Storm; this earned him the Air Medal with “V” Device for heroism in combat.
After this extraordinary service to the Army, Mr. Newman pivoted to civil aviation, working as a Captain for Northwest Airlink, flying the Saab-340 out of Memphis, TN. To work his way up to this position, he first worked as a flight instructor, charter pilot, and corporate pilot. Despite this career change, he remained in the Army Reserve, and returned to active Army service after 5 years. In the Tennessee Army Guard, he made CW4, and thus returned to the Army as a CW4 senior Warrant Officer in June 2000.
Later, Mr. Newman volunteered for service as the first Airfield Commander in Kandahar, Afghanistan. His valiant efforts made a positive impact on the combat operations early in the War On Terrorism, earning him the Bronze Star. He returned to the US for seven months at Fort Campbell, followed by deployment to Kuwait for the Invasion of Iraq as a Battalion Safety Officer. Impressively, his battalion was without serious accidents throughout the campaign; out of nine battalions, only two total would emerge unscathed.
Mr. Newman did not stop here. He continued as Safety Officer for the SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe), the NATO military commander. In 2005, he was promoted to CW5, the highest warrant officer rank, retiring in 2008.
He spent a year in Germany with his family, after which he worked as a UAS instructor for Raytheon in Fort Huachuca, AZ, and later a Safety Manager for Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, TX. In 2012, Mr. Newman was hired by the FAA as an Operations (Pilot) ASI (Aviation Safety Inspector). In this role, he performed surveillance, investigation, enforcement and certification of pilots, instructors and operators. In 2018, he was promoted into the FAASTeam role (FAA Safety Team) as a FAASTeam Program Manager, with the primary responsibility of promoting Aviation Safety throughout the San Antonio district; an area the size of Missouri. In March, he presented Master Pilot Awards—commemorating 50 years of safe flying—to three chapter 35 members!
After decades of hard work, dedication, ambition, and perseverance, he retired in August of 2026. Mr. Newman has provided unbelievable service to his country, for which all of us at chapter 35 of the EAA are very grateful and very proud. We are lucky to have him as a member of our chapter and a member of our community. Thank you, Mr. Newman!
Other awards earned include:
- The Legion of Merit
- The Bronze Star Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal (3)
- Air Medal (3), one with “V”Device for Heroism
- Army Commendation Medal (6)
- Army Achievement Medal (7)
- Humanitarian Service Medal
- Master Combat Medical Badge
- Master Army Aviator Badge
- Master Parachutist Badge
- Air Assault Badge
- British Parachutist Badge
- Inducted into the Order of Saint Michael (Army Aviation Honor Society)
- Inducted into the Order of Saint Maurice (Army Infantry Honor Society)
Ryan’s pilot qualifications include -
- ATP, Airplane Single mand multi-engine land
- Commercial Instrument Pilot, Helicopter and Airplane Single Engine Sea
- CFI-I Airplane Single & Multi Engine and Helicopter
Ryan has owned only one airplane since 2010, a 1967 Army T-41B. He has a small house attached to a 4,000 sq ft hangar on a 2,500 foot grass strip for the airplane in Pipe Creek.
