2013 NATIONAL GENERAL AVIATION AWARD WINNERS NAMED

Annually for 50 years now, the General Aviation Awards program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have recognized aviation professionals for their contributions to general aviation in the fields of flight instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics and safety.

The GA Awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and more than a dozen industry partners (http://www.GeneralAviationAwards.org). The selection process begins each September at the Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) level before moving up to the Regional FAA Office level. From the pool of winners selected by the Regions, the National awards winners are chosen by panels of volunteer judges comprised of previous national winners in each of the categories.

 Recipients of the 2013 National General Aviation Awards are:

• William T. “Bill” Fifles of Honolulu, Hawaii – Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) of the Year

• Bruce Allan Lundquist of Willis, Michigan – Avionics Technician (AVN Tech) of the Year

• Dean Wesley Eichholz of Soldotna, Alaska – Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) of the Year

• Mark Edward Madden of Anchorage, Alaska – FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Representative of the Year

FAA Administrator Huerta will present plaques to these deserving National winners in July during EAA AirVenture 2013 in Oshkosh, WI. Included in the prize packages for the four National winners is an all-expenses-paid trip to Oshkosh to attend the awards presentation and other special GA Awards activities.

According to GA Awards committee co-chair JoAnn Hill, “These awards highlight the important role played by these individuals in promoting aviation education and flight safety.” Co-chair and previous National award recipient John Teipen adds, “The awards program sponsors are pleased that these outstanding aviation professionals will receive the recognition they so richly deserve before their peers in Oshkosh.”