We invite you to vote for the 2024 Readers’ Choice Award. Entries are based on products that were available during the 2023 calendar year. Use the link provided to select your favorite product before June 10. 

2024 Nominees (in no particular order)

• Tecnam P-Mentor 

• Embraer Phenom 300E 

• Rotax 916iS

• uAvionix skySensor Receiver

• ForeFlight Sentry Plus 

• Bose A30 headset

Voting for FLYING’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Award has ended.

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On Wednesday, Claudia Simpson Jones and Graham Simpson received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award during a special ceremony at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The award is part of the agency’s recognition of safe pilots.

To be eligible for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the applicant must hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or FAA pilot certificate, have 50 or more years of piloting experience, or 50 or more years combined experience in both piloting and aircraft operations.

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation from someone in the industry along with a detailed account of their aviation experiences. 

The application packets for Simpson Jones and Simpson were a little over an inch thick, and according to an FAA representative, “enjoyable reading.”

Simpson Jones, 79, started her aviation career with her first solo on December 3, 1967. As if that wasn’t enough of a memorable experience, an aviation luminary was in attendance. 

“William T. Piper was there the day I soloed,” Simpson Jones said. 

She earned her private pilot certificate in March 1968 and continued training, earning a helicopter rating, commercial certificate for airplane, seaplane rating, Airline Transport Pilot and CFI certificates, and type rating in a Boeing 737. She was one of the first women to be hired by a major airline when she became a first officer for Continental Airlines in 1977.

Eventually her career took her to Southwest Airlines and the captain’s seat as well. She became an simulator instructor for Alaska Airlines for a time, eventually retiring from aviation in 2000 with 24,000 hours logged.

Among her aviation accolades, she served as the first president of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21).

She didn’t learn to fly to get to the airlines, she said. Also a musician, she originally learned to fly as a means of transportation, flying her band around in a Piper Cherokee Six.

“I had maybe 40-something hours at the time, and the band would just jump in the airplane and we’d go,” she said, noting that music remains a big part of her life.

She was working as a CFI when she intercepted her younger brother Graham on his way home from high school. Ten years his senior, she was in charge, she said. Simpson said he remembers her telling him, “We’re going to the airport for an hour,” and she then gave him a flying lesson.

Graham Simpson soloed on September 23, 1970, in a Piper Colt and earned his private pilot certificate in 1971 right after his 17th birthday. Like his sister, he spent the next few years adding ratings, including commercial, helicopter, instrument, CFI, Flight Engineer, ATP, and type rating in a B-737 and Airbus A320. 

Simpson spent 41 years at the airlines, racking up more than 30,000 hours. Some of those were flown in the former Piedmont Airlines 737 now on display at the Museum of Flight. 

“The last time I was in this airplane was in 1985,” said Simpson, taking the left seat for a photo op with his sister.

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The NAA called Schenck “a visionary leader and selfless humanitarian” who is dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the heritage of America’s military veterans and supporting the next generation of pilots.

• READ MORE: NAA , FAI Recognize Record Flights in King Air with Tamarack Aerospace Smartwing Upgrade

The NAA established the award in 2019 to honor outstanding individuals for their contributions to aviation or aerospace in the United States and efforts to promote public appreciation of the sacrifices made by members of the military. Bruce Whitman, an aerospace executive and philanthropist, was named posthumously as the trophy’s first recipient in 2019. 

“No one cared more about our industry than Bruce Whitman,” said Jim Albaugh, NAA chair. “He dedicated his life to service, and I know Bruce would be honored to know that this year’s recipient of the Whitman Trophy is James Schenck. James is someone who contributed so much to our military and our nation.”

During his military career, Schenck flew Black Hawk helicopters in Korea and trained other US Army aviators as a night vision goggle instructor pilot. He served on the Army Staff in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans and later served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army.  Schenk received the Legion of Merit for his contribution to the Army by overseeing creation of the $453 million Army University Access Online educational initiative.

• READ MORE: NAA Names McDonald Award Honorees

Prior to working in the Pentagon, Schenck taught economics and finance at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1988. He is also a 1996 graduate of Harvard Business School. He has received several honors for his support of the military including the Association of the United States Army’s John W. Dixon Award and the National Military Family Association’s Military Family Champion Award.

“Deeply impacted by the failed Iranian hostage rescue mission on April 24, 1980, when eight American service members lost their lives, I have been steadfast from that date forward in my commitment to our men and women who serve,” Schenck said. “I am forever proud of my military service as an Army aviator, and for the millions of other veterans who have worn the uniform of our nation. We can never do enough for the men and women and their families who keep us free. I am honored to receive this prestigious award from the National Aeronautic Association.”

Schenck will be honored and receive the 2024 Whitman Award at an upcoming event. Previous recipients of the Whiteman Trophy include author and WASP advocate Erin Miller, the U.S. Golden Knights, and record-setting pilot and U.S. veteran Ross Perot Jr.

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The four finalists include:

• MagniX for magni650 Electric Propulsion Unit (EPU)
• NASA, University of Arizona, and Lockheed Martin for the OSIRIS-REx Team
• Reliable Robotics for Advanced Autonomous Flight Systems
• U.S. Air Force for the X-62A ACE Team

Amy Spowart, president and CEO of the NAA, emphasized the organization’s commitment to recognizing outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace.

“The Collier Trophy, bestowed since 1911, is the story of aviation innovation and advancement,” Spowart said.

• READ MORE: Webb Space Telescope Team Earns Collier Trophy

The final round of the Collier Trophy selection process is set for March 21 in Washington, D.C. Each finalist will present their nomination, accompanied by visual aids and presentation slides, followed by a Q&A session with the selection committee.

Spowart expressed anticipation to see who will be honored as the 2023 Collier Trophy recipient.

For additional details and a comprehensive list of Collier Trophy honorees, visit the NAA website.

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The NBAA said it began giving the annual award in 2018 to recognize young people “driving meaningful change and big results across all segments of business aviation.” 

• READ MORE: NBAA Presents Jared Isaacman with 2023 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award

The NBAA’s Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPro) program hosted this year’s honorees during the NBAA convention in Las Vegas in October. 

“We are pleased to announce the newest class of Top 40 Under 40 business aviation professionals,” the NBAA said in its announcement of the award winners. “This class represents a wide range of expertise in business aviation. It truly demonstrates that the next generation of leaders is here, and the industry is in good hands for a successful future.” 

John Dowd, King Schools’ vice president of marketing, nominated Golden. 

“Pilots for 50 years have used King Schools to pass their FAA exams and for pilot training,” Dowd said. “Samuel is a member of a new generation of technically proficient, digitally savvy young pilots who are ensuring the future of King Schools is in good hands. Samuel is part of the team that is using video and social media to share courses and researching AI’s virtual and augmented reality possibilities.”

• READ MORE: King Schools Launches Envision Flight Edu-Con

Golden is an experienced pilot with a commercial airplane single-engine land certificate and an instrument rating. He also holds advanced and instrument ground instructor, and remote pilot certificates. He manages the King Schools’ digital advertising and social media programs, which have helped drive increases in the company’s market share and social media engagement.

“Samuel has had a significant role in keeping King Schools relevant in a fast-changing, competitive market,” said John and Martha King, founders of King Schools, in a statement. “Our advertising and overall communication with our customers have greatly benefited from Samuel’s work. We are very pleased and proud to see Samuel receive this well-deserved award.”

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Public benefit flying includes medical transport, search and rescue, emergency response, pet transport, and environmental and conservation support. The NAA said the award recipients “combine their love of flying with the capabilities of general aviation to create a rewarding and valuable part of the aviation story.”

• READ MORE: NAA Names McDonald Award Honorees

The following are the award categories and this year’s winners.

Distinguished Volunteer Pilot: Dennis Phelan, a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight West and Earth Angel who has flown more than 880 missions transporting patients in need of lifesaving care.

Distinguished Volunteer: David Brubaker, founder of STEM Flights, an mentoring organization that encourages young people to pursue STEM careers. A former Air Force fighter pilot, Brubaker is known for his dedication to youth aviation education.

Teamwork Award: This award goes to all general aviation pilots who were involved in relief efforts on the island of Maui in Hawaii after this year’s deadly wildfires. Rainbow Helicopters represented the group and was recognized for its work transporting essential supplies to families displaced by the fires.

• READ MORE: NAA and ACA To Honor Pilots and Aviation Volunteers for Helping Those in Need

Outstanding Achievement in Advancement of Public Benefit Flying: Jim Hesseman received this award in recognition of his work as a volunteer pilot and president of the Air Care Alliance, an organization that builds awareness of public benefit flying.

Champion of Public Benefit Flying: Lightspeed Aviation received this award for its support of volunteer pilots and charitable aviation. The company has raised awareness of public benefit flying through a variety of media and published materials including its book, Flying for Compassion.

“The selfless dedication of these people is remarkable, and their impact is staggering,” said Amy Spowart, NAA president and CEO. “From a child with a terminal illness to an organ that needs to get across the country for transplant to the movement of people escaping natural disasters, these pilots represent the best in aviation. It’s our honor to recognize them and share their impact for the recognition and inspiration of others.”

Members of the 2023 Public Benefit Flying Awards selection committee include Ed Bolen of the National Business Aviation Association; Linda Daschle, LHD & Associates Inc; Jenna Gerdes, Angel Flight Central; John Lunseth, a 2022 Public Benefit Flying Award recipient; Rol Morrow, Air Care Alliance; Greg Pecoraro, National Association of State Aviation Officials; and

Patty Wagstaff, Patty Wagstaff Aviation Safety LLC.

NAA said the awards presentation will take place in Washington, D.C., on a date to be determined.

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According to the NAA, as a founding board member of WAI, Bosco helped create multiple platforms to nurture, educate, and inspire future generations of aviators. She helped establish WAI’s Young Professional Advisory Group, Super Mentor Program, and  Jobs Connect platform. One of her largest and most impactful collaborations was with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for the online course “‘Leadership for Women in Aerospace and Aviation,” which has drawn more than 2,200 attendees. 

At the present time, Bosco serves as co-chair of the Aviation Accreditation Board International Industry/Educator forum. The group’s focus is to promote collaboration of industry and educators to cultivate the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals.

“I am thrilled and honored to be the recipient of the Brewer Trophy,” Bosco said. “Throughout my career, I have loved sharing the excitement of opportunities afforded by aviation and aerospace with both career seekers and enhancers—in the hope that they will power our industry forward to even greater heights. So many past Brewer recipients have been lifelong friends and mentors and an inspiration for my own passion for aviation education. I am humbled to be included among this esteemed group of professionals.”

Said Amy Spowart, NAA President and CEO: “Few people in our industry have the drive and passion that Cassandra has. Her impact has created meaningful exposure and lifelong opportunities for all who desire a place in our industry, especially women and minorities. She is a staunch ally and friend of aviation around the world.”

H2: About the Brewer Trophy

The Frank G. Brewer Trophy. established in 1943,  is awarded annually to an individual, group of individuals, or organization for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

The Brewer Trophy is under the care of the National Aeronautic Association, a nonprofit membership organization devoted to fostering opportunities to participate fully in aviation activities and to promoting public understanding of the importance of aviation and space flight to the U.S..

Among the past recipients are the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s You Can Fly program, aviation educators and founders of King Schools John and Martha King, and Women in Aviation founder Dr. Peggy Chabrian.

The selection committee for the 2023 Frank G. Brewer Trophy includes Frank and Robert Brewer and Jana Denning, NAA board of directors; Jim Gregory, 2020 Brewer Trophy recipient’, Susan Mallett, 2022 Brewer Trophy recipient; and Shannon Weidekamp, Equus Flight Academy.

The Brewer Trophy will be presented on a future date and location to be determined. More information and a complete list of previous recipients can be found here.

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The Honorary Membership program was launched in 2020 to give public appreciation to those who have achieved national recognition in aviation.

About the Honorees

“The First Flight Society is proud to honor both Mack Rutherford and Erik Lindbergh with lifetime honorary memberships,” said Mike Fonseca, president of the First Flight Society. “They are both great individuals who are currently influencing the field of aviation.”

Mack Rutherford

In 2022 Rutherford, raised in Belgium, became the youngest to fly solo around the world using a microlight aircraft. Rutherford launched his epic journey from Belgium in March. The trip took five months and had him traveling through the airspace of 52 countries. Epic flights run in the family; Mack’s older sister Zara Rutherford made a similar journey in 2021 at the age of 19 in a Shark Aero UL. She was also named a First Flight Society Honorary Lifetime Member.

Erik Lindbergh

Lindbergh was literally born into an aviation family. The grandson of Charles Lindbergh, who in 1927 became the first pilot to successfully fly across the Atlantic, the younger Lindbergh has made a name for himself as an aviator, adventurer, artist, and entrepreneur. In 2002 on the 75th anniversary of his grandfather’s flight, he flew a Lancair Columbia 300 from New York to Paris.

He is also an accomplished artist, often using the natural curves of wood in sculpture. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of VerdeGo Aero, a company dedicated to creating powertrain systems and engineering services for the electric aircraft industry. In addition, he is the co-host of The Lindberghs podcast and serves as the chairman of the board of the Lindbergh Foundation. He is also on the board of trustees of the XPrize Foundation, an organization that encourages public competitions that feature technological developments designed to benefit humanity.

This year marks the 120th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ aviation achievement. Each year the FFS honors them on December 17, the date in 1923 of the historic first flight. This year’s honorees have the chance to attend the December 17 luncheon in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, was created in part by the efforts of a group of local businessmen known as the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, a group that later became the First Flight Society. Today, the FFS is a partner with the National Park Service, which oversees the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The FFS celebrates the anniversary of the first powered flight with the special lunch that honors an inductee into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Society Shrine. This year’s honorees are Walter and Olive Beech, the founders of Beechcraft.

More information can be found here.

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The inductees for 2023 include: the late Neal Loving, EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame; Lew Shattuck of Yelm, Washington, International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame; the late Charles “Chuck” Greenhill, Warbirds of America Hall of Fame; John Parish Sr. of Tullahoma, Tennessee, Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame; and Paul Mather of St. Elmo, Alabama, EAA Ultralights Hall of Fame.

• READ MORE: Members of EAA 983 Honored for Safe Operation

Loving was born in Detroit in 1916 and took his first flight at age 14. He began learning to fly in 1938 despite difficulties finding flight schools that accepted Black students. He later designed the S-1 glider and lost both legs in an aircraft accident but continued to pursue aviation. He went on to design his most well-known aircraft, the WR-1, which won the Most Outstanding Design Award at the 1954 EAA Fly-In Convention. Loving died in December 1998.

Parish is known for his interest in the Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing. After years of flying, he was able to buy his own Staggerwing in 1970 and became increasingly involved with the International Staggerwing Club. In 1973 he and his wife, Charlotte, helped establish the Staggerwing Museum Foundation, known today as the Beechcraft Heritage Museum, in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Parish’s involvement with EAA has included serving on its board for more than 30 years, and working as director and vice president of the EAA Aviation Foundation.

• READ MORE: EAA Chapter Marks 20,000 Young Eagles Flights

Shattuck enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1952, where he flew many different fighter aircraft. In 1966, Shattuck was captured after his F-105 was shot down in North Vietnam and was held as a prisoner for more than six years. He retired from the Air Force in 1976 as a colonel. He soon bought a Pitts Special and began practicing aerobatics. In 1978 he won the Pitts Cup trophy in the IAC National Championships. He continued flying in competition until 2018, when he was 85. Shattuck also spent many years mentoring aerobatic pilots and judges.

Greenhill became involved with restoring warbirds soon after he served in the U.S. Army. Greenhill used his skills as a tool and die maker to restore warbirds to their original condition working with his wife, Bev. One standout among his many projects is the only surviving Grumman J2F-4 Duck from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Greenhill’s restorations often appeared at EAA AirVenture and earned him the 2007 World War II Grand Champion, 2003 and 2005 Reserve Grand Champion, and 2014 Preservation awards. Greenhill died in April 2022.

Mather began flying in 1974 at age 18 and has flown a range of ultralights, including hang gliders and Quicksilver foot-launch models. In 1980 Mather began working at Quicksilver in sales and marketing. Among his notable feats was his 1984 nonstop flight in an MXL II ultralight from Annaba, Algeria, to Monaco over the Mediterranean Sea, setting numerous FAI records. Mather left Quicksilver in 1995 to start his own venture, M-Squared Aircraft, which produces a variety of aircraft, including the part 102 ultralight Breese-XL.

In addition to the inductions, Jim Casper received the Henry Kimberly Leadership Award, which recognizes Oshkosh-area residents for volunteer service to the EAA. Casper is a longtime EAA Aviation Museum docent volunteer.

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The ceremony was held at chapter headquarters at Pecan Plantation, Texas (0TX1). Joe Murphy and Darrell Hughes of the FAA’s North Texas Flight Standards District Office presided over the event.

According to Tom Woodward, the WBA/CTA award coordinator for EAA 983, this was the largest ceremony of its kind for the FAA. Woodward said the previous largest award event for WBA/CTA came with this same chapter in 2014 when 13 members were honored.

“Of the now 69 members in the Granbury area, 65 of them are or were members of EAA Chapter 983,” he said.

Woodward, a 19,000-hour retired airline captain, added that this year’s WBA recipients have a combined flight time in excess of 324,390 hours and a total of more than 1,691 years of flying. Individual flying time over those 50 years varied from 790 hours to more than 35,960. At least eight of the recipients hold CFI ratings. Woodward has been instructing in gliders since 1979.

Chapter 983 was established in 1992, and Woodward joined in 1996.

“As a chapter we have a very senior pilot group but are just now starting to get younger members,” Woodward said. “We fly about 20-40 Young Eagles every month. We sponsor one or two youngsters to the EAA Air Academy, and we’ve started a glider club where young people rebuilt a [Schweitzer] SGS-222 and on the weekend are learning to fly it.”

For more information about the chapter visit eaa983.org.

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