Aviation agency honors 28 pilot ambassadors
AVIATION AMBASSADORS: Virginia Aviation Ambassadors Program
The Virginia Department of Aviation recently recognized 28 pilots for completing its Virginia Aviation Ambassadors Program.
Among the aviation ambassadors honored by the department May 30 are: James R. Maliwauki of Mechanicsville, Brian McKeehan of Mechanicsville, Lloyd Wood of Colonial Heights and Ronald E. Wray of Chester.
The program recognizes pilots and passengers who visit -- by flying or driving -- Virginia's public-use airports, go to its aviation museums, participate in a safety seminar, and attend the annual Virginia Regional Festival of Flight in Suffolk.
Participants have their Virginia Aviation Ambassador passport stamped at each location they visit.
They earn bronze-level recognition for going to 25 airports, four aviation museums, a safety event and attending the flight festival; silver-level for visiting 50 airports; and gold-level for getting to all 66 airports.
Bronze-level ambassadors receive an ambassador cap and lapel pin, silver-level ambassadors earn a pilot flight bag, and gold-level ambassadors receive a leather flight jacket with the Virginia aviation ambassador logo embroidered on the front.
"This program is an extraordinary opportunity for pilots, aviation enthusiasts and the general public to see the valuable economic assets in our system of airports," said state Aviation Director Randall Burdette.
"It gives pilots and riders alike an opportunity to set and meet goals in their flying and sightseeing, and experience all that Virginia aviation has to offer while having fun with friends and family," Burdette said.
Since the program's start in 2005, 191 people have become gold-level Virginia aviation ambassadors. -- Peter Bacqué
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Reader Reactions
Why promote aviation in Va begs for a response. Aviation goes beyond the commercial flights that most people are familiar with. There are so many aspects to this field, such as Medflights, search and rescue, powerline and law enforcement. Many of the pilots received their initial training in general avaiation. Basically they were hobbyists who decided to make a living at it.
A lot of Virginia’s 66 airports are in the middle of nowhere as it were, but these communities need a connection to the rest of the world and are trying to entice businesses to come to their community.
With respect to taxpayer’s dollars, aviators pay a fuel tax dedicated to the aviation fund.
If you have any questions what aviation in Virginia is about check out the Va Museum near RIC or attend the Festival of Flight in Suffolk next year.
How many tax dollars are we spending to “promote aviation” in Virginia? Do we really *need* a dept. of aviation?
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