The General Aviation Awards program and the FAA revealed the winners of the 2014 National GA awards, which each year recognize top aviation professionals for their contributions to general aviation.
The recipients are Mary Schu of Tualatin, Oregon, who was named Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) of the Year; Donald Streitenberger Jr. of Cincinnati, Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) of the Year; Ricky Hestilow of Arlington, Texas, Avionics Technician of the Year; and Christopher Hope of Kansas City, Missouri, FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Representative of the Year.
The winners will receive their awards in July at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, when they will be given individual plaques by the FAA and have their names permanently added to the large plaque in the lobby of the EAA AirVenture Museum. All four will receive all-expenses-paid trips to Oshkosh to attend the awards presentation.
“These awards highlight the important role played by these individuals in promoting aviation education and flight safety,” said GA Awards Board Chairwoman Arlynn McMahon. “The awards program sponsors are pleased that these outstanding aviation professionals will receive the recognition they so richly deserve before their peers in Oshkosh.”
Schu owns and operates Mary A. Schu Aviation and Mary A. Schu Consulting in the Portland area. She provides designated pilot examiner (DPE) services and flight instruction and also conducts several Flight Instructor Refresher Courses (FIRCs) each year. She has more than 20,000 hours of flight time logged, including more than 14,000 hours of instruction given, and holds ATP and CFI certificates for airplane single- and multiengine land and instruments.
Streitenberger is chief inspector for The Kroger Company at Cincinnati Lunken Airport, where he directs inspections of Kroger’s business jet fleet. He joined the company as a line mechanic nearly 30 years ago.
Hestilow serves as program director, director of standards and certification, and director of accreditation for the National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies (NCATT). He has been a maintenance technician for more than 40 years.
Hope conducts regular safety seminars and in 2013 founded the Kansas City IMC Club, which meets monthly to discuss real-life issues of instrument flying. He holds ATP, CFI, and GI certificates, is a Gold Seal CFI and Master Instructor, and has flown more than 500 youths as a volunteer pilot with the EAA Young Eagles program.
http://www.flyingmag.com/news/faa-names-national-ga-award-winners