David Jones was awarded the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award and Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his lifetime achievements in aviation during the ATEC annual conference in March 2024. He spoke with Aviation Week Network about some of his career highlights and shared perspectives on challenges the industry faces moving forward.

Read an excerpt from the interview:

You began flying at a young age and then attended school for aviation engineering technology. Could you tell me a bit about the early days of your aviation passion and how you broke into the industry?

My father learned to fly on the GI Bill after World War II, so I grew up with that in the family. He didn’t own an airplane until I was getting ready to learn to fly...He bought a little World War II trainer that I used to learn to fly. My mother was his first passenger when he got his license and she decided to be my first passenger when I got mine—she was a daring lady! The flying kept me [around] airports where you could get really close with the airplanes and people, and my interest continued to grow. When I was in high school, I started working at the airport as a mechanics’ helper, which is where I got my interest in the [technical] side.

The local community college in Lansing, Michigan had an agreement with Western Michigan University (WMU) and they sent people from WMU to recruit for the aviation department. One of the mechanics I worked with was a WMU graduate, so it seemed very logical to look at that program. At the time, the aviation program had an engineering technology degree option, and with it you chose a specialty. I already had a commercial pilot’s license and a lot of that [work] already done, but the classes you took included everything for the mechanics, so I went ahead and did both. I finished my pilot training and got my mechanic certificate at the same time.
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When I graduated, I went back to Lansing to work at the airport. I took my girlfriend for an airplane ride one day and we stopped back to fuel the airplane up. One of the customers whose airplane I had worked on was there and he said he had a job opening that might interest me.  I went to work for him, mostly in a machine shop. It was interesting design work and prototype machinery, but I also got to fly and work on his airplane occasionally. That was really my first aviation job.
You can read the full interview here.

Local aviation figure Terry Kennedy was recently honored with both the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award and the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award at a gathering in the Pioneer Igloo. Nominated by fellow pilot Mark Frohnapfel, Kennedy received these prestigious FAA honors in recognition of nearly 60 years of continuous involvement in aviation maintenance and over half a century as an FAA-certified mechanic and pilot. The awards highlight Kennedy's significant contributions to aviation reliability and safety in demanding environments, as well as his role in mentoring future generations of pilots and mechanics.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is named in honor of Mr. Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics. Mr. Taylor served as the Wright brothers’ mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.  

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is the most prestigious award the FAA issues to persons certificated under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 65. This award, named after Charles Taylor, is to recognize individuals who have exhibited exemplary aviation expertise, distinguished professionalism, and steadfast commitment for at least 50 years or more of aviation maintenance experience. A distinctive certificate, and the airman’s Blue-Ribbon package is issued after application review and eligibility requirements have been met. Once the award has been issued, the recipient’s name, city and state will be added to a published “Roll of Honor,” located at https://www.faasafety.gov/content/MasterMechanic/RecipientList.aspx.  

Read the heartwarming article here.

PAMA is proud to celebrate the aviation maintenance professionals whose careers reflect a lifetime of dedication, skill, and service. We are currently seeking submissions for recipients of the Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award, one of the highest honors in aircraft maintenance.

Established by the FAA, the Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award recognizes senior aviation mechanics with 50 or more years of civil aviation maintenance experience. Named after Charles E. Taylor, the first aviation mechanic and the man behind the engine that powered the Wright brothers’ first successful aircraft, this award honors those who have spent decades ensuring the safety, reliability, and advancement of aviation.

Do you know a mechanic whose career exemplifies professionalism, technical excellence, and commitment to the aviation maintenance community? We want to hear their story.

Why Submit?
Selected award recipients will be:

• Featured on the PAMA website
• Recognized for their lifetime contributions to aviation maintenance
• Celebrated as role models for current and future maintenance professionals

How to Submit
To submit a nomination or share information about a deserving Master Mechanic, please email details to [email protected]. Submissions may include background on the nominee’s career, years of service, areas of expertise, and why they are deserving of recognition.

Help us honor the individuals who built, and continue to uphold, the foundation of aviation safety and excellence. We look forward to highlighting the remarkable careers that define our profession.

Bill Bridges, founder of The Flight Shop in Brigham City, is still turning wrenches and working on airplanes at 82 years old. In fact, in September 2025, he was given the Charles Taylor Mechanic Award from the Federal Aviation Administration for 50 years of servicing and repairing airplanes.

The FFA said The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award was named in honor of Mr. Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic who built the motor for the Wright brothers’ first powered flight.

“I was surprised they kept the award a secret until they gave it to me,” Bridges said. “I told them I was getting ready to leave and they told me to stick around. They started setting up tables and invited some of my friends. Then they gave me the plaque.”

The award is prominently displayed in the office.

“People think you have to work for the airlines to make a living as an airplane mechanic,” he said. “We’ve made a pretty good living working on airplanes right here.”

They had the first license he received in 1968 up until his last one.

“They had all my licenses compiled,” Bridges said. “I am one of 3,500 other aviation mechanics across the country to have this award.”

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics.

“It’s a huge deal,” said his daughter Liz Hansen, who works at The Flight Shop, her father’s airplane maintenance and repair business. “In 1968 he got his first license for airframe, and powerplant repair for airplanes and he has received one every year since then.”

“Craig Hulse started working with Bill out of high school and became a successful mechanic,” Liz said. “He is now taking most of the mechanical duties.”

As a family-built and privately owned business that prioritize large-scale capabilities with small-shop attention, their technicians are IA and A&P certified and are experienced enough to handle most critical service needs and still care about every detail.

Read the full article here.

In October 2020, James “Jim” Marvin earned the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is an honor presented by the United States Federal Aviation Administration in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. The award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior aviation mechanics. Taylor served as the Wright brothers’ mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.

James “Jim” Marvin served in the United States Air Force for 20 years as an aircraft mechanic and also worked as an aircraft mechanic, supervisor and Chief Inspector with Piedmont Airlines for 30 years. Working 50 years in aviation maintenance and spending a minimum of 30 years as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified mechanic.

During his time in the military, Jim worked on B-52 aircraft in Rome, New York and 135 refueling aircraft in Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. After re-enlisting, Jim was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware where he served 16 years working on C-5 cargo planes and obtained his Airframe and Powerplant license. He retired as a Master Sergeant.

Jim later joined Piedmont Airlines on August 15, 1990 as a mechanic in Salisbury, Maryland. He began his career with Piedmont working on the aircraft that remained overnight and was later promoted to several positions of increased responsibility including RON Maintenance Supervisor, Quality Control Supervisor and the position of Chief Inspector which he held for fifteen years.

The Hon. John J. Goglia recalls how proud he was when he got his Airframe and Powerplant Certifications after graduating from East Coast Aero Tech in Bedford, Massachusetts in 1963. With his A&P license in hand, he signed on for his first job as a mechanic for United Airlines. “New York has always been special to me because that is where I started my career at United Air Lines at JFK Airport. It was during the Jet Age, and jets were just starting to be worked on. Getting up to the line and working on a jet airplane was always a thrill for us young guys stuck in the hangar,” said Mr. Goglia in an interview with Metropolitan Airport News.

Mr. Goglia worked for United at JFK until the airline laid off several mechanics in 1965. He went on to work for the airline in Washington, D.C., and then onto Baltimore. In between that time, he married a girl from Boston who was very close to her family in Massachusetts. Wanting to move back home to Massachusetts, Goglia searched for the only job he could find in Boston as a mechanic, and he was hired by Allegheny Airlines. “I went with Allegheny, and it actually changed my career because Allegheny treated their maintenance people a lot differently than United, and so I grew with Allegheny over the course of the next 30 years. They gave me freedom, and I ended up doing a lot of jobs that typically a mechanic for other airlines may never get to do…on the quality side, on special projects, as an inspector, a crew chief,  all kinds of jobs within the maintenance department.”

Allegheny went through several mergers with Lake Central, Mohawk, Pacific Southwest Airlines, and then Piedmont. Goglia got on a committee over people assigned to work the mergers before they took place, doing many tasks, other than turning wrenches, to bring the two companies together. 

In the course of his career, Goglia worked on many types of aircraft, starting with the DC-6, DC-7, 8, 9s, Convairs, Caravelles, 720s, 727s, 747s, and the BAC-One Eleven. He also worked the non-scheduled side of the house. “I had two jobs, looking for extra income… with three kids, and I worked the Lockheed air terminal. 

When Allegheny became U.S. Airways, some of the unique jobs Goglia had took him to Washington, D.C. He worked with the FAA for several years, reviewing flight safety and maintenance rules. This work got him noticed and allowed him to put his name in for a position with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board). Shortly after Goglia received a call from the White House and was subsequently Presidentially-appointed under the Clinton Administration as an NTSB Board member, serving in that role from 1995-2004.

John Goglia received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award after 53 years as a certificate holder in March 2017. At the time, he was promoting other people for the award. He said, “When you do that, you tend not to make accolades for yourself. It was secretly done behind my back, so I was surprised with the award at a competition I run called the Aerospace Maintenance Competition which took place a few years ago. My family flew down, and it was a big event. They had me crying.” 

Goglia reflected upon how FAA national resource specialist, the late Bill O’Brien, pushed hard to get the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award in place and how O’Brien really made it happen through his dogged determination and keeping it alive until somebody in the FAA thought it was a good idea and moved it forward. “Mechanics just do their job…a mechanic’s attitude is “see problem, fix problem, next problem,” said Golia, adding, “The Award is very important for the mechanics in general because it is one of the few forms of recognition that you have for a career, an unblemished career, because if you have problems with enforcement, you’re not going to get it. You have to have a clean record. It’s a tribute to what you’ve accomplished over the course of your career.”

Note: The author of this article is Metropolitan Airport News. They want to thank Charles Taylor II, Ken MacTiernan, and Joshua Lang for their assistance with this article.

The FAA’s most prestigious award for pilots is the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, and for aircraft mechanics, is the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. The first 19 minutes of the video show a documentary of Orville and Wilbur Wright and mechanic Charles Taylor, who are credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. It then details the requirements for the master pilot and master mechanic awards. This is the video shown preceding an award presentation ceremony.

Nominate a Master Mechanic: https://www.faasafety.gov/content/MasterMechanic/​

The Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award is presented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This award is presented to mechanics with both 50 years in aviation maintenance and 30 years FAA certified. Charles E. Taylor built the first aircraft engine used by the Wright Brothers in 1903. In addition, Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) day is May 24, his birthday. On this day, AMTs are celebrated everywhere for their challenging work and dedication to the aviation industry.

This year, Aviation Institute of Maintenance –Norfolk instructor Ken Wiley was awarded the Charles E. Taylor award on AMT Day in front of his family, students, and fellow instructors. Ken Wiley has been an AIM instructor since 2008, however his experience in the industry goes back half a century. His experience started as an apprentice aircraft mechanic in 1971 at the Naval Air Rework Facility in Norfolk, Virginia. After graduating from the apprentice program in 1975, he worked his way up the ranks and became a lead aircraft mechanic, and later an Aircraft Engineering Technician at the Naval Air Rework Facility.

In 1984, Wiley earned an FAA commercial pilot certificate with Instrument rating. In addition to serving at the Naval Air Rework Facility, he worked part time as a jump plane pilot at Suffolk Sky Sports in Suffolk, Virginia, taking skydivers up for parachute jumps. In 2003, he earned his FAA Private Pilot Certificate. His work as an aviation mechanic has brought him up and down the east coast as far as Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. In Mayport, Wiley provided technical support to Seahawk Helicopter operating squadrons.

After retiring from government service in 2008, Wiley returned to Hampton Roads to AIM and has consistently inspired students with his extensive knowledge and experience in the industry. More recently, Wiley earned a FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (drone pilot) in 2017. Ken Wiley’s career in aviation came full circle when he received the highest honor for maintenance technicians. Instructors like Ken Wiley offer students an example of where a career in aviation can truly take you.

Joe Lienau, a Sturgeon Bay native who lives in Fish Creek, was recently awarded the Federal Aviation Agency’s (FAA) highest, most prestigious awards: the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

The awards recognize 50 continuous years of exemplary aviation flight experience, professionalism and steadfast commitment to aviation safety. 

Fewer than 1% of all pilots and mechanics in the United States have ever received both awards. Lienau is one of two recipients in Wisconsin.

Jurg Grossenbacher of the Milwaukee Flight Standards District Office presented Lienau with the awards during a Wisconsin Department of Transportation conference in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Lienau was an American Airlines captain who retired after 35 years of service. He still flies his own airplane, and he’s a certified flight instructor and aircraft mechanic.