FAA Presents Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to AEA's Ric Peri

FAA Presents Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to AEA's Ric Peri

FAA Presents Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to AEA's Ric Peri

During the opening session of the 66th annual Aircraft Electronics Association International Convention & Trade Show at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando, FL, the Federal Aviation Administration presents the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to Ric Peri, AEA vice president of government and industry affairs.

Robert Jex, FAASTeam program manager, presented Peri with the award, which is named in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight, and recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics. Charles Taylor served as the Wright brothers' mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.

Ric Peri has more than 50 years in aviation maintenance as a mechanic, instructor, writer, consultant and auditor. Following graduation from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX, he began turning wrenches in April 1972 at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, WA, as a helicopter mechanic working on UH-1N Hueys. In 1975, Peri transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard where he worked on the HH-52 helicopter. In 1978 he transitioned to C-130 maintenance and in 1986 earned his mechanic certificate with A&P ratings and began working as an aircraft mechanic at airports in California, central Florida, and later Maryland. Peri earned his private pilot certificate in March 1987 and his inspection authorization with what is now the Tampa FSDO in 1990. Upon his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1998, Peri was appointed director of maintenance for the National Air Transportation Association. He has been involved with the FAA Safety Team and has assisted several FSDOs with IA and repair-station training programs. He also owns a Cessna 172 and has restored and currently maintains the aircraft.

In his current role with the AEA, Peri advocates for the avionics and maintenance industries before the aviation authorities worldwide with a primary focus on the Americas, Europe and the South Pacific regions. He also has more than 25 years in association management and supports the membership through consultation and advocacy of aviation issues, with an emphasis on global maintenance, manufacturing and certification regulations. As an award-winning journalist, Peri has been communicating issues pertinent to the aviation industry since the mid-1980s in a wide range of aviation and engineering publications.

As an instructor, Peri has supported the aviation industry as adjunct professor at two universities and conducted organized training and education for the association’s membership. He also has been a guest speaker at several industry events worldwide.

"I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition," Peri says. "Charles Taylor, the namesake of this award, saw powered flight from its birth to the introduction of the jet age. My career has taken me from round motors, tube radios, and sextants to electric propulsion, autonomous flight, and artificial intelligence. I am truly blessed to have been a part of this journey for the past 50 years. I wonder what the next 50 years will bring."

To see the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Roll of Honor, visit https://www.faasafety.gov/content/mastermechanic/RecipientList.aspx.

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