Four Selected From Thousands Of Volunteers Nominated

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA), in partnership with the Air Care Alliance, a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations, will honor the 2011 recipients of the National Public Benefit Flying Awards at the "Above and Beyond" Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, September 15, 2011.

This year's recipients are:

• Distinguished Volunteer Pilot - Dr. Lewis Young, Angel Flight Central  Dr. Lewis Young has provided more than 700 flights since 2001 for Angel Flight Central, a volunteer organization that provides long-distance transportation at times of personal and community crisis.
• Distinguished Volunteers - Dick Gooch, Angel Flight Central and Larry A. Lemke, Wings of Hope  Dick Gooch has provided volunteer services for Angel Flight Central for more than 14 years as a volunteer staff member, outreach ambassador, board member, and advocate for patients, pilots, and staff. Larry Lemke's extraordinary Wings of Hope program, which he joined in 1995 and has chaired since 2004, provides humanitarian efforts worldwide. Lemke has flown more than 1,100 U.S. flights and worked more than 7,000 hours in charitable efforts, providing advanced health care to impoverished people.
• Outstanding Achievement in Public Benefit Flying - Bruce Robin Stoddard and Wright Flight Inc. For more than 25 years Bruce Robin Stoddard and Wright Flight have used the powerful motivator of aviation to help America's children stay in school and attain higher personal and educational goals. Relying almost entirely on volunteer teachers, pilots, and ground crews, the program currently operates in nine states and has more than 20,000 graduates.

In announcing the winners, NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney said, "I am very proud of the recipients of the 2011 Public Benefit Flying Awards. All of the nominations were worthy and the list of our honorees again demonstrates again the diversity of public benefit flying in America and the many different people who benefit from it."

Air Care Alliance Chairman Rol Murrow noted, "Each year thousands of volunteers in aviation quietly work to fly patients for care, provide educational flights for youth, support environmental causes, serve in times of emergencies, help our veterans, and provide help in many other ways to those in need. Along with NAA, we are pleased to be able to work with leaders in our Nation's capital to honor these selfless individuals, their groups, and those who provide essential support for them."

FMI: www.naa.aero, www.aircareall.org