Involved in aviation for more than 60 years, including 51 years as a licensed aircraft maintenance technician, Lynton Scott of Trinity Center, CA, received special recognition from the FAA in March when he was presented the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic award during the FAA’s annual Airworthiness Inspector Certificate Renewal symposium in Reno.

Lyn Scott started his aviation career as a gun turret system mechanic on B-50 bombers in 1951 at Walker AFB in Roswell, NM. He later became an A&P mechanic, earned a bachelor’s degree in aircraft maintenance engineering from Northrop Aeronautical Institute in 1959, and obtained his A&P mechanic license from the FAA the same year.

He worked for United Airlines as a mechanic when the airline was transitioning from props to jets and also taught mechanics to adult students in San Francisco. In his hometown of Trinity Center, he operates an airplane repair facility at the Trinity Center airport. In addition to his mechanic’s license, he holds a commercial pilot’s license with instrument rating and a ground instructor’s license.
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Scott says he considers receiving the Charles Taylor award a great honor in memory of “a true mechanical genius” and that after more than 60 years in aviation “I still get a thrill every time I see an airplane land or take off.”

It's been cold in Robert Menier's Newfoundland garage. After-dinner airplane fabrication has occasionally been out of the question. 

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Menier's retirement hobby is slightly more complex and expensive than most. Fabricating a light recreational airplane similar to a Piper Cub from plans is also risky, he admits. 
"Sometimes it's a little chilly down there," said Menier. "I have a heater in there now, so that may help it out."

Menier is not a pilot. Still, he is especially qualified, said Don Provost, the treasurer and newsletter editor for Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501.

"Bob Menier is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of the parts that go into the airframe of a corporate jet," he said. "[He knows] what can and must be done safely to keep them in good repair."
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The claim is backed up by evidence, according to officials at the Federal Aviation Administration. Later this February, they will award the West Milford native with their Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

At the 2025 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) honored James “Jim” Janaitis Sr. with the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, recognizing a 50-year career of dedicated service in aviation maintenance and commitment to aviation safety.

Dave Schiavone of the FAA Safety Team gave the award to Janaitis, who spent 25 years as director of maintenance for IBM Flight Operations. Janaitis also served as chair of NBAA’s Maintenance Committee and co-founded the NBAA Connectivity Subcommittee.

In his career, spanning five decades, Janaitis earned credentials such as:

• Pilot’s license in 1971
• FAA Airframe & Powerplant certificate in 1974
• Inspection Authorization in 1977 

Janaitis continues to renew his Inspection Authorization to this day.

Before joining IBM, he worked for Canadair and Bombardier, rising from a technician to chief inspector over 14 years. Janaitis retired in 2021 but consults for business aviation companies.

According to the FAA, the award celebrates “exemplary aviation expertise, distinguished professionalism and steadfast commitment” to aviation maintenance.

In 1903, Charles Taylor designed and built the engine for the Wright brothers’ first successful flight. His namesake award honors individuals with at least 50 years of dedicated service in aviation maintenance.

“Jim embodies the very best of our industry—a passion for aviation maintenance, a commitment to innovation, and a deep sense of responsibility to safety,” said Stewart D’Leon, NBAA’s senior director for environmental & technical operations.

D’Leon continued, “His impact is evident not only in the aircraft he has maintained, but in the lives and careers of those he has mentored. We are proud to celebrate Jim’s remarkable contributions and congratulate him on receiving the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.”

When Janaitis is not working, he maintains his Cessna 182, travels with his wife, Terry, and spends time with his three sons and six grandchildren.

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.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mechanic or repairman certificate.
• Have 50 or more years of civil and military maintenance experience.
  • Up to 20 years of the required 50 years may be U.S. military experience; or worked as an uncertified person in a U.S. aviation maintenance facility that maintained U.S. registered aircraft, either domestic or overseas; or worked as an uncertified person in the aircraft manufacturing industry in the United States, producing U.S. type-certificated or U.S. military aircraft.
  • The 50 years may be computed consecutively or non-consecutively.
• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Have NOT had any airman certificate revoked. Revocation of any airman certificate will disqualify a nominee for this award.

To Apply
Follow application procedures located in the current Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Information Guide.

Contact your local FSDO for more information.

If you have additional questions, or if you are a Master Mechanic Award recipient and your name is not on this list, please contact your local FAASTeam Program Manager.
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Click here to view the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Roll of Honor.

On September 23rd, 2025, Darrell Hughes, from the DFW FAA Safety Team, presented Joseph "Ski" Suszczynski with the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

Ski was a graduate of Aviation High School, Class of 1973 and Extended 12th, which was completed  in January 1974.

From Ski, "I could not find an aviation job so I enlisted in the USAF as a jet engine mechanic. I spent 20 years working on T56 engines which were used on C-130 Hercules aircraft in different roles, engine shop, flight line, test cell, engine records, and was a USAF Master Instructor, teaching T56 engines, 54H60-91 Propellers and GTC85-71A gas turbine engines. During that time also taught general, airframe and powerplant courses for the University of Embry Riddle. After my Air Force career, I went to work for Raytheon Aerospace performing MRO on T56 engines for 4 years. Then joined StandardAero where I worked T56 engines for 23 years then switched to Rolls Royce Spey and Tay engines. My current role is a Training Manager."

The award was presented at StandardAero DFW Center of Excellence, which is a FAA Part 145 Jet Engine MRO facility, in front of  staff, Ski's family and friends.

Dale Meiler, floor inspector at Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), has earned the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award from the FAA.

Dale is one of only 3,018 recipients of The Charles Taylor Award, the most prestigious FAA award to an aviation maintenance technician. Named in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight, the award honors mechanics who have 50 years of civil and/or military maintenance experience with no violations.

Dale began his aviation maintenance career in the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and served in the Vietnam War. After the military, he graduated from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University with his A&P license. Dale joined Banyan Air Service in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1983, as the lead technician.
During those early years, Dale was crucial to Banyan’s maintenance department’s certification because of his experience and relationship with the FAA, according to company officials.

“He added quality into the inspection process and increased awareness, safety, and efficiency for the entire MRO department as the floor inspector,” officials add.
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“It was an honor and a pleasure to work with a man of Dale’s caliber. His professionalism and integrity served as bookends to his core commitment to quality and our customers’ safety,” said Lewis Homsher, Quality Manager of MRO Services at Banyan Air Service.

Perry Siler has been awarded the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to recognise his contributions to aviation safety for over 50 years. He will receive the award in November 2025 in Florida alongside his friends, customers, and colleagues.

Siler, born in Kentucky, first ventured into aviation in 1973 by earning his FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) License at the Somerset Aero Technical School. His career began at Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI) as a Mechanic, rising through the ranks to Maintenance Supervisor, African Operations.

From there, he held roles at Arizona Rotorcraft, Africair, Air Services, and Keystone Engine Services, where he still acts as a consultant. He then moved over to Precision Aviation Group (PAG), where he helped to develop operator relationships within Africa, the Middle East, and Hawaii.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to focus on what I do best which is supporting my customers,” said Siler.
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“I have known and worked with Perry Siler for thirty-five years,” commented Mark Tyler, Vice President & General Manager, Precision Aircraft Services. “As an A&P and as a person, Perry has always displayed honesty and integrity as his core values and demonstrates exceptional skill in aircraft maintenance. He takes immense pride in his work and has established safety as job one. It is with great honour that I recommend Perry Siler for the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

H.E.R.O.S. Inc. has announced that Heros Kajberouni, founder of H.E.R.O.S. Inc., has been awarded the prestigious Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The award presentation took place at H.E.R.O.S. Inc.’s Chandler facility and was formally conducted by Craig Tompkins and Ernie Copeland of the FAA Safety Team from the Scottsdale, Arizona office.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is the FAA’s highest honor for aviation maintenance professionals. Named after Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight and the man who built and maintained the engine for the Wright brothers, this award recognizes individuals who have exhibited exemplary dedication to the field of aviation maintenance for 50 or more years. 

Recipients must have held an FAA mechanic certificate for at least 50 years and have spent the majority of their careers promoting safety, craftsmanship, and technical skill within the aviation industry.

Heros Kajberouni’s achievement is the culmination of over 53 years of relentless commitment to excellence, quality, and safety in aviation maintenance. His career stands as a model of what the Charles Taylor Award symbolizes: a lifelong passion for precision and integrity.
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“Today, we honor not just a man, but a legacy,” said Raffi Kajberouni, president and general manager of H.E.R.O.S. Inc., during the ceremony.