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.

Greg Feith, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia are fresh from media interviews on the Air India crash. They regroup here to share their insights with the Flight Safety Detectives audience.

An Air India 787 crashed in Ahmedabad, India on June 12. The detectives want to put the brakes on the media, aviation commentators and social media posters who are providing bad information about the cause of the crash.

Many people speaking out, including pilots and other aviation professionals, are demonstrating little understanding of 787 systems and procedures. They are misrepresenting the limited information available about the event. This is a disservice to the public as well as aviation safety.

Boeing 787 Systems Explained
Greg explains how the 787 flap and slat system operates and how that led many commentators to misinterpret what they saw in the two videos of the crash that have been widely circulated. The main landing gear is visible in the videos, leading some commentators to speculate that the crew neglected to raise it. Greg notes that one of the videos showed clear evidence that the landing gear was in the process of being raised.

The audio of one of the videos suggested that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed. John and Greg detail how the RAT provides critical hydraulic and electrical capacity to the aircraft. They describe several ways the system can be deployed manually or automatically.

Todd, John, and Greg all criticize the Indian authorities’ management of the accident investigation. Video clips of the accident scene show that news media and others had relatively free access to the site. Evidence from the accident scene was disturbed before investigative authorities could inspect it. The lack of security may make it hard to fully understand why the aircraft crashed.
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Middle East Conflict Impacts Flight Safety
A major military conflict between Iran and Israel began the day after the Air India crash, dramatically changing flight patterns in that part of the world. Flights may be disrupted further should the conflict intensify. Passengers and flight crews in that area should be prepared with alternative plans should the situation change for the worse.

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) announced that its volunteer aircraft mechanic Ron Corley has been awarded the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. The award honors the commitment and achievements of senior mechanics with more than 50 years of aviation maintenance.

The award is named after aviation pioneer Charles Taylor, who served as the Wright brothers’ mechanic and designed the engine for their groundbreaking aircraft. To be eligible, recipients must hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or FAA mechanic or repairman certificate with at least 50 years of dedicated service in aviation maintenance. Such experience can include civil and/or military work, as well as maintenance work overseas or in the U.S.

Ron’s Award serves as a testament to his lifetime of contributions and adherence to the highest standards in aviation safety and maintenance. As an active member of Airbase Georgia he has made numerous invaluable impacts on the CAF and inspired others with his commitment and skill.
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All maintenance mechanics and pilots, as well as others who assist in keeping the aircraft flying and presenting them to the public are volunteers who donate their time and resources because of their passion for flying and love of the aircraft. Ron’s dedication and receiving this award is a distinction for the CAF that helps reinforce its mission to “Keep ‘Em Flying” and preserve aviation history and its legacy for future generations.

Nathan Fielder needed an aviation expert for Season 2 of the series “The Rehearsal” so he tapped Flight Safety Detectives’ own John Goglia. John’s recommendations for how crew resource management (CRM) can reduce aviation accidents became the focus of the season.

John discusses how he was approached to be in the show, how he didn’t have a clear idea of the direction it would take, and the unexpected reaction.

Season 2 of “The Rehearsal” addresses the role that enhanced CRM could play in reducing accidents. The tropic is explored in the context of comedy, absurdity, and simulations of the travel experience. Throughout, John is featured as the voice of authority.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the series was how seriously deeply Fielder approached the subject. He went from being a non-pilot to getting a type rating in a 737. Hear John’s insider look at how the show came together.
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Stay tuned – John has invited Nathan Fielder to appear on a future episode of Flight Safety Detectives!

Jim Croce died in a plane crash more than 50 years ago. Determining what caused the 1973 crash is challenging. This episode also covers an event where no one was flying a Lufthansa plane.

The only surviving document from the plane crash that killed Jim Croce is less than a page long, leaving many questions unanswered. The investigation was likely carried out by an investigator who was outside of NTSB headquarters. At that time, the records for most accident investigations were not sent to headquarters.

Jim Croce was traveling late at night from Louisiana to Texas. For reasons that are not explained, the aircraft hit a tree off the end of the runway. It was destroyed in the subsequent fire. While the report mentions the weather conditions and the pilot’s preexisting heart condition, it does not answer many questions, such as whether the plane was overloaded or even the position of the tree relative to the runway.

In a 2024 incident involving Lufthansa, the captain stepped out of the cockpit and the first officer lost consciousness. For 10 minutes, no one was flying the plane!

The event did not result in an accident, although it was a close call. Fortunately, the first officer recovered enough to open the cockpit door, and the flight continued without incident.

John Goglia and Todd Curtis agree that always having a second person in the cockpit is a good practice. The regulations in Europe, where Lufthansa is based, do not require a second person.
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Although these two events are very different, like many accidents and incidents, each provides learning opportunities. Aviation is a learning adventure!

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Delaware Valley Business Aviation Association members can search for the latest Aviation career opportunities directly on their website: dvbaa.wildapricot.org/page-18168 ______________________________________________________________________
About Delaware Valley Business Aviation Association The Delaware Valley Business Aviation Association brings together members of the aviation community between New York and the Chesapeake Bay. We are committed to the safe operation of business aircraft, professionalism through education events, networking among peers, fair airspace advocacy, and outreach to inform our community of the robust opportunities in aviation related careers.

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