FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2005 NAT'L GENERAL AVIATION AWARD WINNERS NAMED
LONGMONT, Colorado (24 March 2005) - In each of the past 42 years, the General
Aviation Awards Program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have
recognized a small group of aviation professionals in the fields of flight
instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics and safety for their contributions
to aviation safety and education.
This awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and a dozen industry
sponsors. The selection process begins at local Flight Standards District
Offices (FSDO) and then moves on to the nine regional FAA offices. Panels of
aviation professionals within the various fields then select national winners
from the pool of regional awardees.
Recipients of this year's national awards are John Anthony Teipen of University
City, Missouri, Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) of the Year; Michael
Cheever Church of Costa Mesa, California, Aviation Safety Counselor (ASC) of the
Year; Michael O'Brian "Mike" Branham of Bella Vista, Arkansas, Aviation
Maintenance Technician (AMT) of the Year; and Charles Allen Hanner of Lincoln,
Nebraska, Avionics Technician of the Year.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey will present the national awards during a
"Theater in the Woods" program at EAA AirVenture 2005 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
"These awards highlight the important role played by these individuals in
promoting aviation safety and education," said JoAnn Hill, General Aviation
Awards Committee chairman. "The awards program sponsors are pleased that these
outstanding aviation professionals will receive the recognition they so richly
deserve before their peers in Oshkosh."
2005 CFI OF THE YEAR:
Master CFI
John Teipen exemplifies the standard of professionalism in the field of
flight instruction. He is involved in all levels of aviation education from
soaring and seaplanes to academics and CFI continuing education.
Earning a pilot certificate in 1984, he became a certificated flight instructor
in 1996. He teaches in the aviation program at St Louis Community College and
is an independent flight instructor in the St Louis area specializing in
tailwheel endorsements and upset/spin training in his recently rebuilt 1969
Bellanca 7ECA Citabria. He also serves as an aviation safety counselor as well
as a designated pilot examiner in airplanes and gliders.
The Greater St Louis Flight Instructors Association, St Louis Soaring
Association, the local Aeronca Champ Club and EAA's Young Eagles Program all
benefit from his many hours of pro bono service. Starting out as a
flight instructor revalidation clinic (FIRC) lecturer for the Greater St Louis
Flight Instructors Association, he now serves as the association's FIRC
director. He is also a founding member of the St Louis pilot examiners group.
Teipen believes in continuing education for all pilots and includes himself in
that regimen. During the past five years, he has added airplane multiengine
land (MEL), airplane single engine sea (SES) and multiengine instructor (MEI)
ratings. A regular attendee at safety seminars, he has also achieved level
eight in the FAA's Pilot Proficiency Awards "WINGS" program.
He is one of approximately 450 aviation educators worldwide who holds a Master
Instructor designation. This professional accreditation is granted by the
National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) to outstanding aviation
educators who are demonstrating an ongoing commitment to excellence,
professional growth, and service to the aviation community. He is a longtime
member of NAFI as well as AOPA, EAA and IAC.
Teipen (John@Teipen.com)
represented the St Louis FSDO and the FAA's Central Region. This year's other
regional CFI winners include Master CFI Judy Cadmus of Collegeville,
Pennsylvania (FAA Eastern Region); Master CFI Lonnie Hilkemeier of Boulder,
Colorado (FAA Northwest Mountain Region); Master CFI Gene Hudson of Sylmar,
California (FAA Western Region); Master CFI Dan Keen of Lafayette, Indiana (FAA
Great Lakes Region); John Moyers of Burlington, North Carolina (FAA Southern
Region); Paul Pitts of Keller, Texas (FAA Southwest Region); and Ann Walko of
Wisasset, Maine (FAA New England Region).
(Attached photo: 2005 Nat'l Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year
MCFI John Teipen of University City, MO)
2005 ASC OF THE YEAR:
Master
CFI Michael Church has been a flight instructor for 35 years and has served
as an Aviation Safety Counselor (ASC) for more than 16 of those years. He is
the chief flight instructor and president of Sunrise Aviation, a Part 141 flight
school and Cessna Pilot Center at Santa Ana's John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA).
As president and a longtime board member of the Western Pacific Aviation Safety
Foundation, Church has worked in partnership with the FAA's Western Pacific
Regional Office to promote aviation safety initiatives through education. He
participates in the FAA's WINGS program and provides informational as well as
aviation safety seminars. He also regularly makes presentations to the
non-flying public about airports, flight training and aerobatic flight. The FAA
frequently calls upon him to provide remedial training to pilots as a substitute
for certificate enforcement
action.
In addition to his duties as chief CFI of Sunrise Aviation, Church is also a
Cirrus authorized flight instructor as well as a prolific author. He writes
aerobatic manuals, flight course syllabi and DVD ground school courses. A
contributing editor for both Private Pilot and Pacific Flyer, he
provides monthly columns for those publications entitled "IFR Refresher" and
"Back to Basics," respectively.
Church is active in the International Aerobatics Club (IAC) on the local and
national levels. He is the secretary and director of communications for IAC's
Chapter 36. His duties include editing the chapter's newsletter and functioning
as webmaster for their web site. He has served as a judge at aerobatic
competitions for 12 years, coached chapter members, operated training camps,
been a competitor himself and is now an aerobatic contest director.
Continuing to upgrade his own aviation skills, he has taken advanced training to
become a Cirrus standardized instructor and a facilitator for interactive
computer avionics training with Electronic Flight Solutions. He continues to
take advanced aerobatic training from nationally renowned instructors. Holder
of both Master CFI and Master CFI-Aerobatic designations, he is a member of AOPA,
EAA, IAC and NAFI.
Church (MC@SunriseAviation.com)
represented the Long Beach FSDO and the FAA's Western Pacific Region. This
year's other regional ASC winners include Joseph R Brigham of Bow, New Hampshire
(FAA's New England Region); Dennis R Gardisser of Lonoke, Arkansas
(FAA's Southwest Region); Brian L Robbins of Columbus, New Jersey (FAA's Eastern
Region); John R Scott of Denver, Colorado (FAA's Northwest Mountain Region);
John Paul St Peter of Detroit, Michigan (FAA's Great Lakes Region); and James
Edward Trusty of Old Hickory, Tennessee (FAA's Southern Region).
(Attached photo: 2005 Nat'l Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year
MCFI-A Michael Church of Costa Mesa, CA)
2005 AMT OF THE YEAR:
Mike Branham
began his aviation maintenance career in 1981 as a crew chief on a US Air Force
KC135A Stratotanker. After serving four years in the Air Force, he enlisted in
the US Coast Guard where he worked as a flight mechanic on the HH-65A Dolphin
helicopter and a dropmaster on the HU25A Falcon Jet.
During his time in the Coast Guard, he specialized in aircraft composite
structural repair. He also participated in search and rescue missions, fishery
patrols, and drug enforcement missions. In recognition of his performance on
these missions, he was awarded a Coast Guard Commendation Medal.
He received his airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic certification in 1990.
After leaving the Coast Guard, he worked as lead mechanic for Raytheon Aircraft
Systems performing depot level inspections on Navy T-34/44s. He also served as
a crew chief for Ozark Aircraft Systems at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA).
In that capacity, he supervised the inspections and line maintenance for
American Eagle Emory Air 145/135s.
In 1999, he began his career with Wal-Mart Stores as an aircraft technician
maintaining their corporate fleet. In January of 2000, he was granted
inspection authorization by the FAA and joined Wal-Mart Aviation's quality
assurance team. He was also named manager of their nondestructive testing
program. In 2004, he was promoted to Wal-Mart's maintenance manager. In that
position, he helps maintain a fleet of more than 20 corporate aircraft including
Lear 31s, 35s, 45s, Global Express and a Challenger. Last year, the aircraft of
Wal-Mart Aviation flew over 16,000 hours throughout the world.
When not overseeing the maintenance of Wal-Mart's aircraft fleet, he enjoys
restoring his 1969 Camaro and spending time with his family on Tablerock Lake in
the Ozark Mountains of
northern Arkansas.
Branham (MBranha@Wal-Mart.com)
represented the Little Rock FSDO as well as the FAA's Southwest Region. This
year's other regional AMT winners include John Joseph Connolly of Centerville,
Maine (FAA New England Region); William David Cruey of Batavia, Ohio (FAA Great
Lakes Region); Fred Everett Hetrick of Berryton, Kansas (FAA Central Region);
Roy Merritt Hines of Raleigh, North Carolina (FAA Southern Region); John Charles
Perry of Rangely, Colorado (FAA Northwest Mountain Region); and Bobby Gene
Speaker of Sun City, Arizona (FAA Western Pacific Region).
(Attached photo: 2005 Nat'l Aviation Maintenance Technician of the
Year Mike Branham of Bella Vista, AR)
2005 AVIONICS TECH OF THE YEAR:
Charles Hanner's first exposure to the world of aviation came through
stories told to him by his grandfather, a World War II Navy veteran who
maintained Vought F4U Corsairs and North American P-51 Mustangs. These stories
planted the seeds that later germinated into a career as a professional avionics
technician.
His interest in electronics developed through his participation in a basic high
school electronics course. After graduation, he decided to pursue that interest
further and enrolled at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City,
Iowa. While there, he majored in telecommunications and graduated in 1990 with
a degree in telecommunications technology.
Armed with this training, he applied for a position in 1990 as an avionics
technician at the headquarters facility of Duncan Aviation at Lincoln Airport (LNK)
in Lincoln, Nebraska. A member of the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA),
Duncan is an FAA repair station as well as a full service FBO. With more than
1800 employees, they have service centers in Lincoln as well Battle Creek,
Michigan. Initially, Hanner performed component level repairs on autopilots and
flight director systems while also doing some line maintenance. His
introduction to general aviation aircraft test flights was on a Lear 25D and
what an introduction that was!
In January of 1998, he was promoted to avionics line team leader and continues
in that position today. In that capacity, he schedules aircraft maintenance,
coordinates work on aircraft, mentors other technicians, works directly with
customers and supervises the daily operations of Duncan's avionics line
maintenance team. He also finds time to continue his professional education by
taking systems training, management and team-focused courses. In addition to an
FAA repairman certificate, he also holds an FCC general radiotelephone license
with a ship radar endorsement.
Hanner (Charles_Hanner@DuncanAviation.com)
represented the Lincoln FSDO and the FAA's Central Region. This year's other
regional avionics technician winners were Kirt Thomas Sanderbeck of Sherman,
Illinois (FAA's Great Lakes Region); Andrew James Scanlon of Ellsworth, Maine
(FAA's New England Region); Edward Ernest Stertmann of Pine Bluff, Arkansas
(FAA's Southwest Region); Thomas Patrick Supon of Rincon, Georgia (FAA's
Southern Region); and Harold Webster Wells of Peoria, Arizona (FAA's Western
Pacific Region).
(Attached photo: 2005 Nat'l Avionics Technician of the Year Charles
Hanner of Lincoln, NE)
The General Aviation Awards program executive committee includes the Aircraft
Electronics Association (AEA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and the
Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA). Additional support
and sponsorship are provided by Women in Aviation International (WAI),
the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the National
Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), the National Air
Transportation Association (NATA), the Helicopter Association
International (HAI), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA),
the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Aeronautical Repair Station Association
(ARSA).
Information about the General Aviation Awards Program as well as applications
for next year's awards are available on the websites of all sponsoring
organizations.
Alexander "Sandy" Hill
Communications Director
GA Awards Committee
Phone: 303-485-8136
