Fri, Nov 04, 2005
There Are More Out There Than You May Think!
The Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA) chose the opening luncheon of its 2005
Expo in Tampa, FL to honor journalists throughout all forms of
media for their fair and insightful coverage of general aviation
issues -- ranging from the history of aviation, learning to fly,
security and sightseeing.
"In an age of sensationalized news reports about aviation
security and safety, today we recognize members of the media who
instead provided the truth about general aviation to the non-flying
public," said AOPA President Phil Boyer, announcing 2005 Max Karant
Journalism Award winners Richard Murphy Werry, Devon Hubbard
Sorlie, Chris Dunn, Marissa Tejada, Jarrod Miller, David Marshall,
and William Lang.
The Karant Awards honor the best of "fair, accurate and
insightful" reporting on general aviation in the general
(non-aviation) media. They include categories for print, TV or
video, and radio, and carry an honorarium of $1,000 in each
category. The awards are named for the late Max Karant (below
right), founder of AOPA Pilot magazine and the association's first
senior vice president.
- KIMN-FM's Richard Murphy Werry won top honors in the radio
category for his series "In Salute to Aurora Airpark." Werry, a
pilot who learned to fly at the now-defunct airport outside Denver,
CO took listeners on a journey through history as he told the story
of this private airport near Denver International Airport that
dates back to World War II. Although Aurora Airpark is no more,
Werry's story "told of the importance of airports like Aurora to
their communities," according to the AOPA.
- Learning to fly was also
the inspiration -- this time more directly -- for writer Devon
Hubbard Sorlie, a reporter for Soundings in Norfolk, VA. She wrote
"Wild Blue Yonder," a recreation piece about the thrill, challenge,
and most of all the joy that comes with learning to fly. Sorlie
took an introductory flight lesson with an instructor from the
Langley Aero Club to prepare for the article, in which she
discussed employment opportunities for pilots, the benefits of
flying personal aircraft for business purposes, and how easy it is
to get started.
- Taking the award for broadcast media was Chris Dunn of KDVR-TV
in Denver, CO, for an "insightful" story about Colorado Angel
Flight. Dunn showed the vital missions that Angel Flight pilots
fly, from transporting sick children who couldn't otherwise afford
air transportation to distant medical appointments, to flying
life-saving medical supplies -- as seen most recently by their
efforts following the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
- Marissa Tejada and Jarrod Miller, of WOFL-TV in Lake Mary, FL,
won their Karant award for "Too Close for Comfort," detailing
the security procedures in place at Florida's GA airports. Their
balanced report included information about how aircraft and
airports can best remain secure -- without resorting to scare
tactics, according to AOPA.
- Aviation travel was the focus of "Flight Plan," a series of air
travel shows prodcued by David Marshall and William Lang, of WPBS
and WXXI in Watertown and Rochester, N.Y., respectively. The
winning episode was a flying adventure through central and upstate
New York, taking viewers to a pancake breakfast, a warplane museum,
and Lake Pleasant in the Adirondacks. "Marshall and Lang's show not
only captured pilots' love of flying, but also gave passengers
something to look forward to when they reached their destinations,"
said AOPA.
The following journalists received honorable mention for their
reporting on general aviation: Dave Hirschman, The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution; Michael Hagerty, KWBU-FM, Waco, TX; Clinton
Griffiths and Brian Gordon, KWCH-TV, Wichita, KS; and Judy Stiles,
KGCS-TV, Joplin, MO.
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