Robert “Bob” Bushby’s aviation career spanned more than seven decades, but at its foundation was a lifelong understanding of aircraft from the mechanic’s point of view.

Bushby’s interest in aviation began early. He took his first airplane ride in a Ford Trimotor in 1937 and made his first solo flight in a Piper J-3 Cub in 1943. During his military service, he attended aircraft maintenance school at Keesler Field in Mississippi before serving on Guam with the 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron as a B-17 flight engineer.

Following his military service, Bushby continued his formal aviation maintenance education. In 1948, he completed the aircraft maintenance program at Lewis College in Illinois and earned his Aircraft and Engine mechanic certificate, the predecessor to today’s Airframe and Powerplant certificate. He later added Inspection Authorization.

That same year, Bushby opened an aircraft maintenance shop in Ottawa, Illinois, which he operated until 1953. During this period, he also restored aircraft, including a Piper J-5 and a Waco AGC-8.

Bushby would eventually become particularly well known within the experimental aircraft community.
In 1953, he joined the still-young Experimental Aircraft Association as EAA member No. 26 and began a business associated with the Midget Mustang. His work eventually led to development of the Mustang II, a two-seat, all-metal homebuilt aircraft that first flew in the 1960s and became an enduring design within the experimental aviation community.

Bushby’s contribution went beyond designing and selling aircraft plans and kits. For decades, he provided technical assistance to Mustang builders and shared his knowledge of metal aircraft construction with other homebuilders. His work helped generations of builders turn plans and raw materials into flying aircraft.

In 1992, the Federal Aviation Administration presented Bushby with the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, recognizing his lifetime of achievement in aviation maintenance. His contributions to aviation continued to be recognized in the years that followed. He received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award in 2005 and was inducted into EAA’s Homebuilders Hall of Fame that same year.
In 2016, Bushby was recognized for another remarkable milestone: 50 years of successful flight of the Mustang II design.

Bushby died in 2018 at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy visible not only in the aircraft he maintained and restored, but in the Mustang aircraft built and flown by generations of homebuilders.
His career is a reminder of the influence an aviation maintenance professional can have far beyond the hangar—through craftsmanship, innovation, mentorship, and the willingness to share a lifetime of technical knowledge with others.
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Sources: Federal Aviation Administration; Experimental Aircraft Association; Bushby family historical records.

For Albert “Bud” Leonard, a career in aviation maintenance has been about more than keeping aircraft flying. It has also been about passing the knowledge, judgment, and problem-solving skills of an experienced mechanic to the next generation.

Leonard began his aviation maintenance career in 1964 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Following four years of military service, he continued his career in the commercial helicopter industry, working for Keystone Helicopters and later Erickson Air-Crane, operator of the distinctive heavy-lift Skycrane helicopter fleet.

In 1981, Leonard began what would become a nearly four-decade association with Piasecki Aircraft Corporation. His work there placed him in the challenging world of rotorcraft research and development, where mechanics are often called upon to do more than simply follow established maintenance procedures. Troubleshooting, fabrication, testing, and finding solutions to new problems are part of the job.

Leonard described himself simply as a “problem solver” when it came to maintenance—a skill particularly valuable when working with experimental aircraft and components.

His influence on aviation maintenance, however, extends well beyond the aircraft he worked on.
Leonard also taught aviation maintenance at Delcastle Technical High School in Delaware, where he helped train more than 350 students to become aviation mechanics. Many went on to careers throughout the industry, including more than 50 former students who, according to Leonard, worked for Piasecki Aircraft over the years.

For Leonard, seeing young people establish careers in aviation was one of the most rewarding parts of teaching.

In January 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration presented Leonard with the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, recognizing more than 50 years of aviation maintenance experience and a career dedicated to aviation safety. He became the first Piasecki Aircraft employee to receive the honor.

The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior aviation mechanics who have demonstrated decades of professionalism and dedication to aviation maintenance.

Leonard's career reflects that legacy not only through the aircraft he helped maintain and develop, but through the hundreds of future aviation professionals he helped prepare to carry the profession forward.
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Sources: Federal Aviation Administration; Piasecki Aircraft Corporation.

Henry Schaeffer served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, then attended Williamsport Technical Institute, now Pennsylvania College of Technology. He later served as an aviation adviser to the school's board.

He built a career repairing and test-flying aircraft across the United States for Reading Aviation Service, Lancaster Aviation and Marc Fruchter Aviation. He was also a commercial pilot with instrument, single-engine and multi-engine ratings. Before his aviation career really took off, Schaeffer and his brothers operated a garage together and at one point rebuilt aircraft components in their mother's living room.

His clients trusted him enough that companies including Penske Corporation and Tasty Baking followed him through his career. His family said he viewed himself as personally responsible not only for everyone aboard an airplane he serviced but also for people on the ground beneath it.

Schaeffer received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award after more than 50 years of service without incident. Schaeffer passed in November 2025 at age 93.

Charles “Charlie” Kulp spent a lifetime around aircraft, building a career that took him from teenage mechanic to respected A&P, aircraft restorer, airport manager, and one of the most recognizable airshow performers in the country.

Kulp’s aviation maintenance career began in 1942, when, at just 16 years old, he became an apprentice mechanic at the Virginia Tech airport. While learning the trade, he also developed a passion for flying. Because the aircraft at the airport were reserved for military cadets, Kulp hitchhiked to Roanoke and worked odd jobs to earn money for flying lessons.

During World War II, Kulp served in the U.S. Navy as an aircraft mechanic. Following his military service, he continued working in aviation maintenance and earned his Airframe and Powerplant mechanic certificate. Over the decades that followed, his career included aircraft maintenance, airport management, flight instruction, and the restoration of historic aircraft.

Among the aircraft Kulp worked on were several that would eventually become part of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum collection. He re-covered the historic Texaco Eaglet glider and restored a 1929 Fairchild KR-34. He also supervised the restoration of a 1927 Pitcairn PA-5 Mailing.

But many in aviation knew Kulp by another name: the Flying Farmer.

Kulp helped establish the Flying Circus Aerodrome in Bealeton, Virginia, and developed an airshow act portraying an unsuspecting farmer who accidentally found himself at the controls of a Piper J-3 Cub. What appeared to audiences as a hilariously out-of-control flight was actually the work of an exceptionally skilled pilot. Kulp performed the routine for decades, entertaining generations of aviation enthusiasts while demonstrating remarkable precision and aircraft control.

Behind the famous airshow character was a mechanic whose career reflected a lifelong commitment to aviation safety, craftsmanship, and service.

In 2000, Kulp received the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, recognizing 50 years of outstanding aviation maintenance experience. He was also inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.

Kulp continued performing well into his later years before retiring from the Flying Farmer act in 2007. He died in 2021 at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy that spanned nearly the entire evolution of modern general aviation.

From maintaining military aircraft during World War II to preserving historic airplanes for future generations, Charlie Kulp’s career exemplified the dedication to aviation maintenance and safety celebrated by the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.
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Sources: Federal Aviation Administration; Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society; National Air and Space Museum.

Published in the Observer Today

After nearly six decades of flying, teaching, and maintaining aircraft, Louis Nalbone will be recognized for a lifetime of contributions to aviation during the 59th Annual Rotary Fly-In Breakfast on Sunday, July 26, at the Chautauqua County-Dunkirk Airport.

Nalbone recently earned two of the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest lifetime achievement honors -- the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award -- an uncommon distinction recognizing more than 50 years of excellence as both a pilot and aircraft mechanic. Throughout his career, Nalbone has trained generations of aviators, served as chief flight instructor and chief pilot, helped grow Dunkirk Aviation Flight School into a respected regional operation, and helped develop the Professional Pilot Degree Program at SUNY Jamestown Community College.

The recognition is especially meaningful at the Chautauqua County/Dunkirk Airport, officially known as John J. Nalbone Sr. Field, honoring Lou’s father, who founded Dunkirk Aviation and helped establish the Nalbone family’s lasting legacy in aviation.

Aviation enthusiasts, families, and breakfast lovers are invited to celebrate Nalbone’s achievements during the 59th Annual Rotary Fly-In Breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon at the Chautauqua County-Dunkirk Airport, 3389 Middle Road, Dunkirk.

“The Rotary Fly-In Breakfast has become one of Chautauqua County’s signature summer events, but this year offers something truly special,” said John Machemer, Deputy Director of Public Facilities – Airports. “Lou Nalbone has devoted nearly 60 years to aviation as a pilot, instructor, mechanic, mentor, and business leader. Receiving both the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is an extraordinary accomplishment and a fitting tribute to someone who has helped shape aviation in Chautauqua County for generations. Combined with the arrival of the historic ‘Whiskey 7,’ this year’s event will be one aviation enthusiasts won’t want to miss.”

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Dunkirk-Fredonia, the longtime community tradition draws as many as 1,200 visitors annually and welcomes pilots from across the region for a morning of aviation, history, and family-friendly activities while raising funds to support Rotary’s local service projects.

This year’s featured aircraft is “Whiskey 7,” a historic World War II-era C-47 that served as the lead aircraft in the second wave of Allied planes carrying paratroopers into Normandy during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the legendary aircraft up close while learning about its important role in one of history’s most significant military operations.

Guests will also have the opportunity to experience aviation firsthand through Discovery Flights offered by the Great Lakes Flight Center. Available for a fee, the introductory flights aboard Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 aircraft provide aspiring pilots and aviation enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to take to the skies alongside a certified flight instructor.

On the ground, local Civil Air Patrol squadrons will provide free flight simulator demonstrations, allowing visitors to experience the controls of an aircraft in a realistic simulator environment while learning more about aviation. Civil Air Patrol cadets from the Dunkirk and Jamestown squadrons will also assist throughout the event by directing aircraft, parking vehicles, and supporting event operations.