Dale started his career as an aircraft mechanic on C-130 aircraft in the United States Air Force in 1973. After a long tour overseas in the South Pacific that included Southeast Asia, Dale returned to the States. In 1977, Dale continued his military career in the U S Air Force Reserve. As an Air Reserve Technician in a Search and Rescue Unit in South Florida, he served as both a Mechanic and a Flight Engineer. Chief Master Sergeant Hoth concluded his brilliant military career as the Senior Air Force Reserve Enlisted Advisor to the Director, Directorate of Aerospace Operations and Requirements, Office of the Air Force Reserves, the Pentagon.
In 1989, Dale entered the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aviation Safety Inspector in the Pittsburgh Flight Standards District Office. He soon became the Assistant Principal Maintenance Inspector under James J. Ballough, PMI, on the US Airways Certificate. Dale later became Program Manager on B-727, B-737, B-767, and Airbus A-330 aircraft.
During his tenure at the FAA, Dale participated in numerous projects and programs. These include, but not limited to: a National Aviation Safety Inspection Program (NASIP) with Northwest Airlines (NWAA), re-certification of Air France, Part 145 Repair Station, a re-write of the FAA De-icing Program Advisory Circular and a re-write of the FAA Weight and Balance Program Advisory Circular. In addition, Dale was instrumental in the merger of several airlines such as the Trump Shuttle into the US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways/America West integration.
Dale was also a team member of the “Systems Group”, during the accident investigation of US Air Flight #427 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. As a result, of the team’s investigation Boeing re-resigned the rudder system of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Dale’s contemporaries at the FAA regarded him a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on issues such as De-icing Programs, Corrosion Prevention and Control Programs, Aging Aircraft Programs and Weight & Balance Programs.
Dale retired from United States Air Force Reserve in 2006, with 33 years of honorable military service. He then retired from the FAA in September 2010 with more than 20 years of service and started D. A. Hoth, Aviation Consulting, LLC. He holds a FAA Mechanic Certificate with an Airframe and Powerplant rating plus a FAA Flight Engineer Certificate.