John E. Souders, ME 72, flew in the cockpit of the final AirTran Airways flight Dec. 28. He was the first pilot hired by AirTran, then ValuJet, and flew the airline’s inaugural flight in 1993. AirTran’s last flight was called Flight 1 as a nod to that first AirTran plane Souders piloted from Atlanta to Tampa, Fla. AirTran, founded by fellow Tech alumnus Lewis H. Jordan III, AE 67, was purchased by Southwest Airlines. Along with a long and successful career as pilot, Souders also served as AirTran’s chief pilot and vice president of flight operations. Souders began his flight career during the Vietnam War, where he flew 360 missions and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross, single mission Air Medals and a 24-stripe Air Medal, according to a profile of Souders in the Marietta Daily Journal. He ended his 20-year military career in 1985 as a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Reserves.
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