feature 50 YEARS IN AVIONICS A vionics technician Randy Pickron was just 12 years old in 1965 when he began working around aircraft. The Vietnam War, the Apollo space program and the Cold War dominated headlines. Luckily, for Pickron, his father managed a small town airport in Sylvester, Georgia, making it easy for the young boy to explore his interest in aviation, and watch and learn from technicians in the shop. Randy Pickron recounts industry changes, adventures S T O R Y 78 avionics news * march 2016 B Y C H R I S T I N E K N A U E R