His first position was in the United States Air Force as a project officer in the 4925th Test Group (Atomic) at the Special Weapons Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Omega filled the flying position of Weaponeer, the only non-flight trained office in the test group to perform this function.
Omega — who loves flying and would have stayed in the Air Force had his eyesight allowed him to qualify as a pilot — then applied his expertise to the development of re-entry vehicles for the Atlas, Titan and Minuteman ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) for AVCO aviation company. From 1960 to 1964, he served as Operations Chief of AVCO Cape Canaveral, FL.
Joining the Apollo Team
Moving to Grumman, Omega worked as test engineer, test conductor and assistant spacecraft test manager from 1964 to 1974, concentrating on the development and pre-flight testing of the Apollo Lunar Module (LM). It was here that he made his mark on the Apollo program, including a stint as the company’s launch control center spokesperson during the countdown for the first landing of the Apollo Lunar Module.
In recognition of his work, Omega received many awards, the most notable of which is a personalized Thank-You plaque from the Apollo 13 Astronauts, complete with a piece of cabin netting that helped save their lives when the Apollo Services Module malfunctioned.
F-14s in Iran
“After the Apollo program, I stayed with Grumman,” remembers Omega. “Our government sold the Shah 80 F-14 aircrafts, so we [Grumman] had to train the Iranians to fly them. I went to Tehran to help set up the depot for maintenance of the F-14s.
“I was born in New Mexico, and surprisingly, the weather in Iran and everything was pretty much like my home state. The people looked like me. In fact,” he laughs, “whenever we Americans would go out to eat, the waiters would bring everyone a menu in English and hand me one in Farsi.”
After a brief period of working in a family-owned business, Omega returned to work for Lockheed/WSTF (White Sands Test Facility) and was quickly promoted to Northrup Strip Operations Chief. He and his crew prepared the White Sands Northrup Strip as a shuttle landing training and emergency landing site. For his work, he received a NASA certificate for Significant Contribution to the Shuttle Space Program, which included an American flag flown in the shuttle Columbia in November 1981.
No More5:30 a.m. Breakfast
In 1995, Omega retired from the department of the Army because, he says: “I was 65 when I retired. The only reason I retired was that my wife told me she wasn’t going to get up every morning at 5:30 a.m. anymore and fix my breakfast when I turned 65. So I had to.”
Omega and his wife Nancy moved to Flower Mound in 1999 to be near their daughter who was about to give birth to their second grandchild. “We wanted to be close to our children,” says Omega. “My son moved to Plano about a year ago.”
Coming Home to Highland Springs
When Nancy passed away in 2002, Omega said he began to think more seriously about moving to a community like Highland Springs. “I saw an ad in the paper and called Highland Springs and got a little information. The thing that really attracted me was the fact that the Entrance Deposit is 100% Refundable, so it will come back to my children,” he says.
This fall, he will be moving into a two-bedroom apartment home on the fourth floor of Crestview Terrace. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s an ideal place for me. I wanted a two-bedroom — to have a place for visitors.”
As a traveler who has bicycled through Europe, visited six South American countries, and has more trips in the works, Omega likes how easy Highland Springs makes it to leave town. “I don’t have to worry about the yard or anything like that. That’s a real advantage.”
Exploring Retirement
Not one to sit around, Omega says he is interested in the activities and the social scene at Highland Springs.
“I might like to join a poker club, and I used to play bridge so maybe that would be good,” he says. “In high school, I was in our class plays, so I enjoy the theater as well.
“I still do a lot of traveling, and probably there will be some travel plans set up by someone there. I haven’t really biked since Nancy passed away, but I intend to pick that up again as well. Maybe I’ll form a biking club.”
Launching Into The Good Life
Omega Gonzales is just one of the many people like you who will explore a new dimension of convenience, freedom and enjoyment when he moves into Highland Springs. But the man whose skills and problem solving abilities helped land men on the moon won’t have time to play Mr. Fixit around his new home.
Omega Gonzales has other, more rewarding worlds to conquer.