Getting to Know Gordon Tubesing

As an eight-year-old, Gordon started making model airplanes, sparking his interest in flying. He grew up on the Green River in Kent, WA. His father was a NW aviation pioneer, but left flying after suffering a leg injury in Port Angeles while teaching a member of the Coast Guard to fly. They had an engine failure and crashed in the Fair Grounds. He went to work for Boeing after he stopped flying. After WWII, Gordon’s parents established a flower farm in the Kent Valley and grew dahlias. During Junior and Senior High School, his after-school and week-end jobs were helping on his parent’s flower farm. They lived several miles from Kent, so to participate in any sports programs, Gordon would ride his bike across the valley to athletic fields in Kent. Gordon’s first ride in an airplane was in college at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. He was in ROTC and got a flight in a DC3 with his CO Colonel Winters. In 1966, he received a BA in Economics after cramming 4 years of college into 6 at CWU. His plan was to have a career at Boeing or in Airline Management.

After he graduated from college, he joined the Marine Corps. After receiving his commission, he went to flight training at NAS Pensacola FL, receiving his wings in September 1967. The Marine Corps assigned him to helicopters, so he was sent to CH-46 Sea Knight training at Santa Ana CA, prior to being deployed to Vietnam. He spent fifteen months in Vietnam, “being shot at” while flying the CH-46A. He left Vietnam as a Captain. Returning stateside to MCAS New River, NC, he transitioned to the North American OV-10 Bronco. In 1974, he was sent back overseas in the OV-10, but on arrival in Okinawa, he was transferred back to the CH-46D to assist in the Evacuation of Saigon. After this time back in Vietnam, he went back to North Carolina where he was a Post-Production test pilot in the CH-46 and OV-10 at Cherry Point, NC. He was also checked out in the Sabreliner, a mid-sized business jet.

In 1979, he was transferred to San Diego and spent two years with the Navy, teaching Air Control for amphibious landings. He spent six months on a Navy ship, instructing in the air operations phase of the landings. Upon completion of his tour with the Navy, he was assigned to military transport aircraft, flying the C-9B, (military version of the DC-9), which he flew for four years.

In Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, he completed training to become an Aviation Safety and Accident Investigation officer. While in the military, he also obtained a BS degree in Aviation Management and an MBA in Business.

In 1981, he spent two years at Camp Pendleton, flying the OV-10. He was the Officer-in-charge of the OV-10 unit in Okinawa in 1983. His final tour was at MCAS El Toro, where he was the Director of Safety for Marine Corps Air Stations-West. He retired as a Major in 1986 after 20 years in the Marine Corps. Dallas (Arlington) Texas was the next place to call home, this time as a pilot for American Airlines. Initially based out of Los Angeles, he flew the DC-10 to Hawaii and Japan for three years as a flight engineer and first officer. In 1991, he made Captain International on the B-727 based out of Miami, so for 11 years, he flew all over South and Central America and the Caribbean, including his upgrade in 1995 to the Airbus A300. He retired from American Airlines in 2002 in Miami.

He stayed in Florida until moving back to Diamond Point where he moved into his current home in 2011. He and his wife, Marquetta, still have a home in Palm Coast, Florida. Gordon has a son and daughter living in Colorado and Marquetta has a son in Portland and a daughter in San Diego CA. Gordon’s daughter is a Captain for Southwest Airlines.

Gordon’s first plane was a 1969 Piper PA28-140B. He currently has a 1968 Piper PA28-180D and has previously owned a PA32R-300 Lance and a PA28-161 Warrior. He has the following ratings: ATP, Comm SEL/ SES, MEL, Glider, HELO, CFI S/MEL, Helo and Flight Engineer.

As a member of EAA Chapter 430, he became the treasurer and helped obtain 501c3 status for the chapter. He has attended Sun-n-Fun every year since 1996 and Oshkosh in 2014.

In our August 2022 YE Rally in Sequim, Gordon was the pilot for our 4,000th YE, Paige Biss.

His special interest, besides flying airplanes, is aviation history. He also enjoys maintaining “my special” cars. He and Marquetta enjoy traveling. He became a UFO (United Flying Octogenarians) after his 80th birthday this year. His plan for life is to stay healthy and continue to enjoy his wife and successful family.