Through the power of God, Thomas Dykes Sr., a former navy aircraft mechanic, reflects on a life of near-death experiences.
When he was 18 years old, Sicklerville resident Thomas Dykes Sr. nearly crashed in the Caribbean Sea while flying in a faulty helicopter.
Some years later, he dangled nearly 80 feet in the air from the mast of ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Flash forward a few more years, he dodged an explosion when a helicopter transmission blew out of its casing in a Boeing test cell.
Inconceivably, these incidents were stitched together by a few other petrifying moments, such as slashing his head open as a child, almost operating a malfunctioned car and being confused for a wanted felon — to name a few.
Recently, the aviation mechanic, voice actor and carpenter has decided to reflect upon his series of near-death experiences in a debut book, “What God Has Brought Me Through — My Inspiration to Others.”
From constructing kitchen cabinets to servicing Chinook aircraft, the South Philly native has collected an eclectic set of skills while, evidently, eluding his demise.
After attending George A. McCall Elementary School, Dykes attended Furness Junior High and later Boq Technical High School where he cultivated his carpentry trade.
Although he was a successful craftsman, working at a construction company and earning a foreman position while still in 12th grade, Dykes felt God’s plan for him was not confined to craftsmanship.
“I wanted to do something different. I knew the carpentry trade,” Dykes said. “But I wanted to do something more. I wanted to fly.”
As he embarked on his quest to fly, Dykes enrolled in the Navy. After attending boot camp in the Great Lakes and an “A” School in California, he was based at Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster, Pa., where he reached the rank of an aviation jet mechanic third class petty officer.
Throughout his naval work, he incessantly lived by the mantra that “the sky’s the limit,” which, for him, was not merely metaphorical.
During this time, Dykes was assigned to work in Puerto Rico for six months in the 1970s, testing an anti-submarine sonar buoy in the Caribbean waters. When it was time to finally leave the island, one of the two engines in his helicopter broke down, forcing the crew to attach an external fuel tank, which was connected to an inflight hose.
“There was no way to test it,” he said. “We had to hope it worked.”
Since there was only enough fuel for a two-hour flight and the trip to Miami would be a little longer, Dykes, as the chief mechanic, had to navigate a crew member as he refilled the tank through the snaking hose while hanging out of the chopper.
Despite a slowing aircraft circling about a few thousand feet above the sea, the crew arrived safe and sound in Opa Locka. In 1973, Dykes was acknowledged as sailor of the quarter for his heroism during the operation.
After dedicating about five years to the military, Dykes resorted to less adrenaline-rushing tasks, working for construction and HVAC companies around South Jersey.
But, once again, his desire to soar still wasn’t satisfied.
“I just wanted more,” he said. “I wanted to learn more.”
Eventually, he accepted a four-year apprenticeship at the Navy Yard, striving to become a journeyman shipwright. Fusing his fervor for carpentry, mechanics and the military, Dykes worked on a multitude of projects, including submarines, helicopters, aircraft carriers and seacrafts.
One day, while disassembling a scaffolding on a colossal ship, Dykes was thunderstruck yet again.
As a 16-foot long metal plank fell, Dykes tumbled down the mast of the vessel. But, after plummeting about 10 feet, a bolt slashed through his hand, catching his fall, as he suspended about 80 feet above the deck.
Miraculously, he survived, perhaps, in the hands of the divine.
“When I fell, it felt like something lifted me up,” he said. “I thought I was dead, but something picked me up and placed me on the ledge.”
But, despite more than one mid-air mayhem, Dykes felt moved to return to his aviation roots, eventually accepting a position as a jet mechanic with Boeing in Ridley Park.
Dykes earned an esteemed employment opportunity in the company’s helicopters transmission shop, as he even won employee of the month in 1992.
One day, while operating on Chinook engines in test cell, a defective transmission blew out of the casing, shattering a window of test cells and crashing into a concrete wall.
The rapid impact of the airborne device could have very easily crushed Dykes.
“That inspired me to write, because I could have gotten killed,” he said.
About two years ago, while pondering his string of transcendental moments, Dykes sought insight from his pastor who advised him to contemplate and condense his stories into a body of work.
Already a mentor with the Sicklerville organization M.E.N. Empowering Nations, Dykes was inspired by Bahamian evangelist Myles Munroe to share his own religious experiences, hoping to guide others, especially young people, about the Lord’s work.
“I want people to believe and trust in God for answers and direction. God brought me through these things — tested me,” Dykes said. “If you listen to each one of the incidents, I think it was a test.”
But, Dykes does not solely attribute spirituality to the unfoldings of his life. Even in the face of death, he says his unceasing motivation to do more throughout life stems mainly from his ethnicity.
“What inspired me the most was that because of my heritage, being an African American, I excelled, I believe to do what I did,” Dykes said. “I always wanted to learn more. The sky’s the limit.”
To purchase Dykes’ book, visit www.iuniverse.com.
