Ed Soliday
It was at Urschel Field in Valparaiso that a young 10-year- old Ed Soliday found himself airborne for the first time in a Piper Tri-Pacer. But it was while he was matriculating at Indiana University, that an American Airlines Captain offered to teach him to fly for free! With about 30 hours flight time, that American captain said “you are really good at this stuff, you should think about getting a commercial license and applying at an airline.” Soliday borrowed enough money to pay for a commercial, instrument and multi engine rating which he completed in less than a year!
Simultaneously, he and the American pilot acquired a Piper Aircraft dealership and founded Aerotech Enterprises, a heavily leveraged, fixed base operation in Gary, Indiana. The business sold airplanes, provided flight instruction, and flew charter flights transporting everything from executives to automobile parts. Soliday grabbed every opportunity imaginable to build flying experience in the following months, ferrying new aircraft from the manufacturer to the dealer as well as charter and air freight. By the time he left Aerotech he had flown most of the Piper and Cessna inventory. All this before his 21st birthday!
United Airlines was hiring and, as we all know, seniority is everything in getting a slot. Somewhat miraculously after several days of testing he was hired by United. He first qualified as a First Officer (Co-pilot) on the DC-6 and then was assigned as a Flight Engineer on the DC-6 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Only six months later he was sent to Boeing 727 Flight Engineer training and then to assignment as a 727 Flight Engineer at O’Hare.
Viet Nam was now in full blown activity and United was in growth mode at the time. Ed sought a United deferment but would only grant four years and ninety days of leave for military service volunteers. And Ed Soliday wanted to volunteer.
After passing flight qualification tests for other services, only the Army offered a flying opportunity with only a four year and ninety days time commitment. So having an aversion to snakes and a love of flying anything, Soliday enlisted in the Army Warrant Officer Helicopter Training Program, where he graduated at the top of his class and as Candidate Class Battalion Commander.
Completing Huey Cobra gunship transition school, Alpha Troop, Third Squadron of the Seventeenth Air Cavalry in the Republic of Vietnam became his new assignment. Now a Cobra pilot in hunter-killer team operations he moved up to Cobra test pilot. His four+ year tour over, Soliday returned to flight duty as a line pilot with United having been awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart.
Now Back with United he logged time in: DC-6, DC-8, Boeing 727, 737-200’s, 300’s, 757-200, 767-200 and 300. Ed Soliday also flew as a member of United’s launch customer acceptance team for the first Boeing 777. In total, he has over 14,000 hours of flight time.
United’s next task for Captain Soliday moved him from Line Pilot to Flight Manager with about 600 pilots under his supervision. One year later he was promoted to Senior Staff Executive for the Senior Vice President of Flight Operations and then to Director of a new corporate division of Safety, and Security. Soon after, Ed became the Vice President of Safety, Quality Assurance, and Security with all the corporate attendant responsibilities, including leading United’s crisis management team on September 11, 2001.
Among his significant awards are:
Bendix Trophy for Aviation Safety for the development of Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Devices,
Vanguard Trophy and the Laura Tabor Barbour International Air Safety Award for the development of the first US Flight Operations Quality Assurance Program
In 2009, the Commercial Aviation Safety Team, of which Captain Soliday was the founding co-chair, received the prestigious Collier Trophy for reducing the commercial aviation fatal accident rate by 83% in ten years and producing the longest period without a commercial aviation fatality in the history of the industry.
Representative Soliday was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 2006 after retiring from United Airlines. He served as chairman of the House Roads and Transportation Committee from 2011 until moving to Chair of the Utilities, Energy and Transportation Committee. He also serves on the Roads and Transportation Committee, the Elections and Appropriations Committee and the Governors Security Council.