List Includes A 'Savvy Aviator,' And Noted Trainer

In each of the past 45 years, the General Aviation Awards program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have partnered to recognize a small group of aviation professionals in the fields of flight instruction, aviation maintenance, avionics and safety for their contributions to aviation safety and education.

This awards program is a cooperative effort between the FAA and more a dozen industry sponsors. The selection process begins with local FAA Safety Team managers at Flight Standards District Offices (FSDO) and then moves on to the eight regional FAA offices. Panels of aviation professionals from within those four fields then select national winners from the pool of regional winners.

"These awards highlight the FAA-industry partnership as well as the important role played by these individuals in promoting aviation, education, and flight safety," said JoAnn Hill, General Aviation Awards Committee chairperson. "The awards program sponsors are pleased that these outstanding aviation professionals will receive the recognition they so richly deserve before their peers in Oshkosh."

This year's national award winners are:

2008 Nat'l Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year

Michael Daniel "Mike" Busch, A&P/IA
Arroyo Grande, CA 
E-mail: mike.busch@savvyaviator.com
Mike is the founder and president of Savvy Aviator (www.savvyaviator.com), a company that provides maintenance training for aircraft owners. The holder of airframe & powerplant as well as flight instructor certificates, Mike is also a writer and instructor for the Cessna Pilots Association. He represented the San Jose FSDO area (Jack Hocker, FPM) as well as the FAA's Western Pacific Region.

2008 Nat'l Avionics Technician of the Year

Timothy Daniel "Tim" Adkison
Benton, KY
E-mail: tadkison@midwestaviation.net
Tim is the manager of avionics with Midwest Aviation Services (www.midwest-aviation.com) at Barkley Regional Airport (PAH) in Paducah, KY. With almost 20 years of experience in the field, he is responsible for training technicians as well as the repair, installation, calibration, overhaul and inspection of avionics, instruments and accessories. Tim represented the Louisville FSDO area (John Toy, FPM) as well as the FAA's Central Region.

2008 Nat'l Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year

Max Trescott, MCFI/MGI
Mountain View, CA
E-mail: info@sjflight.com
Max is an independent Palo Alto-area flight and ground instructor specializing in instrument and technically advanced aircraft training (www.sjflight.com). A Master CFI, Master Ground Instructor, and FAASTeam representative, Max is also a noted aviation author and speaker and founder of Glass Cockpit Publishing. He represented the San Jose FSDO area (Jack Hocker, FPM) as well as the FAA's Western Pacific Region.

2008 Nat'l FAASTeam Representative of the Year

John Anthony Teipen, MCFI/MGI
University City, MO
E-mail: john@teipen.com
John has been active in the FAA's safety programs as a FAASTeam representative / Aviation Safety Counselor for more than 10 years. The chief flight instructor and president of Aeronautical Proficiency Training (www.teipen.com/apt), John holds Master CFI as well as Master Ground Instructor accreditation and was the 2005 National CFI of the Year. He represented the Saint Louis FSDO area (Fred Harms, FPM) and the FAA's Central Region.

FMI: www.faa.gov