Aviation Leaders Deserving of Recognition

by Dave Weiman
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine April/May 2022 online
issue.

In this issue, you will read articles recognizing the accomplishments of several aviation leaders who have recently retired. First, Randy Van Natta and Archie Becher have semi-retired and sold their engineering firm, Becher-Hoppe, to their employees. Second, my colleague, Tom Haines, has likewise decided to retire as Editor in Chief of AOPA Pilot magazine, along with Melissa Rudinger and Ron Golden, also of AOPA. Third, Michimasa Fujino, President, CEO and Founder of Honda Aircraft Company, has retired. I will miss working with these top-notch professionals and wish them well in retirement.

If these aviation leaders have not yet been inducted into their respective state aviation halls of fame, or named aviation persons of the year, they should be. But unfortunately, unless someone takes the time to nominate them, they could be passed up and forgotten.

State aviation halls of fame seek nominations, but they are not always on the lookout for deserving individuals and tend to wait for someone to nominate them. While the process of nominating individuals varies somewhat from state to state, it requires selflessness and a considerable amount of time on the part of the nominator. You must gather the information on the individual and solicit letters of support, and some states select nominees based more on the “quantity” of support letters, than on the “qualifications” of the individual, and standards are sometimes lowered.

To help ensure that only the most deserving individuals get nominated, I urge the selection committees not to wait for nominations to come in, but rather seek out and identify deserving candidates. And rather than lower the standards, state aviation associations (i.e., airports, pilots, fixed base operators) should consider creating an “Aviation Person of the Year Award” for those individuals who may have made a significant contribution to aviation, but who might not be deserving of hall of fame recognition. These awards can be presented at the annual state aviation conferences.

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