Recipients of 2014 General Aviation Awards Announced

March 21, 2014

Four aviation professionals from across the United States have been selected to receive the 2014 General Aviation Awards for their contributions to flight instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics and flight safety.

The awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and dozens of aviation industry organizations, including NBAA. It recognizes individuals for promoting aviation safety, education and professionalism.

Award categories and winners are:

• Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year: Howard William Wolvington, of Issaquah, WA, works as an independent certified flight instructor with the Boeing Employees Flying Association at the Renton, Wash., airport, and with his private clients at airports in the Seattle area. He has given more than 10,000 hours of flight instruction and 8,000 hours of ground instruction.
• Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year: Max Lloyd Burnette, of Rockvale, TN, is semi-retired after 59 years in aircraft maintenance and 29 years as an airframe and powerplant mechanic. For much of his career, he ran M&J Aero, which specialized in restoring, repairing and inspecting taildragger aircraft.
• Avionics Technician of the Year: David Brian Kocak, of Guilford, CT, serves as avionics service manager, installation manager and inspector at V.I.P. Avionics at Hartford-Brainard Airport, where has been employed for the past 16 years. He has received widespread praise for his troubleshooting skills and customer service.
• FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year: Richard Loren Stowell Jr., of McCall, ID, has been a full-time aviation educator specializing in spin, emergency maneuver and aerobatic training since 1987. He has performed more than 33,400 spins in 215 spin-approved aircraft. He has conducted more than 300 safety seminar and webinars, averaging one a month for the past 26 years.

The honorees will receive plaques from the FAA in July at EAA AirVenture 2014 in Oshkosh, Wis., and their names will be added to the permanent plaque located in the lobby of the EAA AirVenture Museum. Recipients also receive all-expense-paid trips to Oshkosh to attend the awards presentation and other GA Awards activities.