About Me | Thom Patterson

More than 30 years at CNN have brought me moments I'll never forget, including off-air reporting at the White House and Capitol Hill ... covering a NASA space shuttle launch and reporting on international air shows at Farnborough and Paris.

I've even piloted one of the Goodyear blimps (albeit for about 2 minutes.)

These are exciting times in the aviation industry, as commercial airlines capitalize on new technology and designs -- like the Airbus A220-100, which began service in the U.S. for the first time. Here's my take on that, by the way.

Airports and airlines are beginning to embrace biometric technology. Here's my reporting on Delta's curb-to-gate system debut in Atlanta.

New kinds of aircraft are taking to the skies. Read my CNN coverage of the world's biggest airplane -- Stratolaunch -- and the first civilian production tilt-rotor.

Here's my coverage of the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and the grounding of the 737 Max for CNN.

From time to time I write about military aviation -- like the reunion between two US Air Force veterans who set the world aviation speed record 40 years ago. These men flew one of the greatest jets ever designed: the SR-71. Here's the story.

I met two Area 51 test pilots, who revealed fascinating details about what it was like to fly a super-secret spy plane. Click here to read my story about an Area 51 spy plane and other aviation tales

-Lockheed Martin's C-130 celebrates 60 years of continuous production

-Brazilian military jet takes on an American icon

-Flying into a hurricane with the USAF Reserve

Share my unforgettable experience flying aboard one of the world's first airliners -- called the "Tin Goose."

Or... soar with me 2,500 feet above the ground in a seat surrounded by a bubble of glass aboard the world's only B-29 Superfortress that still flies. "Climb Aboard 'FIFI'"

Watch legendary aerobatic pilot Sean D. Tucker tell how he turned his fear of flying into a lifelong passion. "A Dangerous Job"

Also, I had the privilege of telling the stories of brave, young sailors who survived the sinking of Bounty -- a three-masted square rigger, which went down in 2012's Superstorm Sandy. Here's an excerpt from Life & Death on the Bounty.

Once, on a chilly New Year's Eve, a Goodyear pilot handed me the controls to the iconic blimp -- and I couldn’t believe it.

Read an excerpt from Big Blimpin’

I’ve been fortunate enough to meet hard-working air traffic controllers at Atlanta's TRACON terminal radar approach control facility and atop the 398-foot FAA air traffic control tower at the world’s busiest airport.

Please visit me at my YouTube channel and let's connect on both Instagram at @thompatterson and Twitter @thompatterson.

Thanks for taking time to stop by.

Thom