FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 12, 2000

Long Beach, California -- The National Association Of State Aviation Officials Center for Aviation Research and Education presented its year 2000 Aviation Education Award to the Maryland Aviation Administration for its annual "Aviation Careers Fly-In". Bruce Mundie, Director of Maryland's Office of Regional Aviation Assistance accepted the award on behalf of the MAA during a ceremony at NASAO's 69th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Long Beach, California.

More that 2,500 middle and senior high school students and teachers have participated in the Aviation Careers Fly-In since its inception in 1991. The unique program, which is endorsed by the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, is designed to bring aviation career information directly to those who most desire it. "There is not a discipline or occupation one might mention that is not included in the field of aviation'" Mundie observed. "In addition to military and civilian pilots, we have doctors, lawyers, meteorologists, flight dispatchers, ramp agents, reservations agents and a host of ground services. At the Fly-in, students and teachers are advised on the best courses to take to enter the aviation industry and where scholarships are available."

Many of the students and teachers experience their first flights in general aviation aircraft as they travel from their local airport to the Fly-in site in Easton, Maryland. The also see and experience all the tasks performed by pilots ranging from preflight planning, inspection of the aircraft, radio communications, navigation, to hands-on flying of the aircraft. Once on the ground, they are welcomed to a wide variety of exhibits and displays where they can meet aviation professionals from all facets of the industry.

The Aviation Careers Fly-In program is co-sponsored by the Maryland Aviation Administration, the Maryland Department of Education, Easton Airport, Talbot Mentors Inc. and "Stay-On -Course" aviation related program aimed at keeping at-risk students in school.

To select the winner of the Aviation Education Award, the NASAO Center for Aviation Research and Education convened a distinguished panel of judges including Cecelia Hunziker, FAA Great Lakes regional administrator, Tom Poberezny, Experimental Aircraft Association president, Cindy Brown, "Be a Pilot" Program executive director, Peggy Baty-Chabrian, Women in Aviation, International president, and Don Koranda, National Aeronautics Association president.