MAster Mechanics Jim Collom, Randy Williams and Perry Hodgson

Six local pilots and aviation mechanics on Friday received the Federal Aviation Administration's highest award in recognition of their lengthy, successful careers.

The Little Rock FAA Safety Team presented the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award to three pilots, the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to one mechanic, and both to two awardees. The ceremony took place in the hangar at Texarkana Regional Airport that is home to TC's Department of Aviation.

"The favorite part of my job is recognizing people who've been doing this for 50 years," said Jamie Black, FAASTeam's Little Rock program director. "This is the most prestigious award that the FAA gives out, and it's well deserved."

Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award recipients were Jim Collom, Randy Williams, Tevis Pappas, Gary Walker and Jerry Browning.

Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Recipients were Jim Collom, Randy Williams and Perry Hodgson.

Recipients reminisced about their longtime relationships with one another, close calls they survived, and early experiences at Texarkana Regional Airport in the 1970s and 1980s.

More than 30 students from TC's newly launched Airframe and Powerplant Program represented the airport. Awardee Jim Collom offered them advice.
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"This is the time we pass the torch to you young fellows. You stay honest to your work, remember your responsibility, and not only to you, but the people that trust in you. Just remember that that's very important what you're doing in this profession, and that's it's not it's your life. It's really their life," Collom said.

Article written by Arts and Entertainment Editor Karl Richter of the Texarckana Gazette.

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