Excellence Recognized

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has announced the recipients of its 2022-2023 Industry Excellence Awards. Honorees will be recognized at 2023’s Aviation Business Conference, which will be held in Long Beach, California on 02 November.

NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna stated: “The aviation business industry was built on passion, fortitude, and foresight—all attributes inherent in each of this year’s Industry Excellence Award winners. We are so pleased to recognize those individuals and companies that have selflessly contributed to the greater good through their dedication to advancing safety, empowering others to lead, and providing stellar service to their clients, colleagues, and communities. Each award represents a true acknowledgement from fellow professionals in the field.”

NATA is pleased to honor the following 2022-2023 recipients:

Mike Fronapfel, CEO and executive director of Englewood, Colorado’s Centennial Airport (APA) /Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority, will receive the Airport Executive Partnership Award. Subject award recognizes outstanding effort on the part of an airport manager to nurture relationships between aviation businesses and airport operators. The award acknowledges Mr. Fronapfel’s leadership in providing unleaded fuel options at APA—in collaboration with FBO tenants jetCenters of Colorado and the Aspen Flying Club flight school. Fronapfel’s dedication to the provision of more environmentally-friendly aviation fuel instantiates foresight and a commitment to community partnership beneficial to all airport stakeholders.

The Excellence in Pilot Training Award recognizes an individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions in safety, professionalism, leadership, and excellence in the field of pilot-training. Ben Walton, founder and president of Summit Aviation, will accept subject award on behalf of Summit Aviation, an award-winning, Bozeman, Montana-based, Part 141 and Part 61 flight-school. The Summit Aviation team has developed a job pathway spanning introductory discovery flights to Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certification. Summit Aviation’s program benefits the interests of the collective aviation industry, and provides a dependable talent pipeline into the general aviation sector and means by which to comprehensively prepare pilots to fill the record numbers of flying positions forecasted by industry and government pundits.

Andrew Fuller, PC-24 supervisor at Aero Center Epps on Chamblee, Georgia’s DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), will receive NATA’s Line-Service Technician Award. Prior to his 23-year stint at Aero Center Epps, Mr. Fuller served 15-years in England’s Royal Air Force. Fuller lives by his commitment to being one-hundred-percent safe and one-hundred-percent certain he knows what he’s doing one-hundred-percent of the time—an ethos he instills in his team. Mr. Fuller is proud of the fact his team—in its entirety—is comprehensively trained and cross-trained to perform the full complement of functions innate to the line-service technician profession.

Damien Neff, Line Supervisor at Naples Airport Authority (APF) in Naples, Florida, will receive 2023’s NATA Safety 1st Certified Line-Service Professional Award. Subject accolade acknowledges the achievements of certified line-service professionals on an annual basis, thereby raising awareness of the positive impact such personnel have on aviation safety, customer service, and business success. Prior to assuming the station of Line Supervisor, Mr. Neff earned the station of line supervisor, working his way up through positions the likes of Line Service Technician I, Line Service Technician II, Line Service Technician III, and Duty Officer. In nominating him for the Safety 1st Line-Service Professional Award, Neff’s coworkers cited his team’s outstanding safety record.

2023’s NATA Future Leader Award, which recognizes individuals deemed to have shown exceptional promise, passion, and professionalism within the general aviation community, will be presented to Roman Mendez, General Manager at Desert Jet Center on Thermal, California’s Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM). Mr. Mendez’s success is attributable, in part, to his belief that success is measured not so much in profit and loss as it is in his team’s happiness, continued growth, and ability to consistently provide a five-star experience to every customer. Mr. Mendez is recognized for his commitment to leading by example and unfaltering dedication to his team, employer, and customers.

Founded in 1940 to represent the interests of the general aviation business community before the U.S. Congress and federal, state, and local government agencies, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) comprises nearly 3,700 aviation businesses offering a broad range of services to the general aviation and airline industries as well as the U.S. military.

In addition to advocating for the aviation sector, NATA directly serves the traveling public by providing aircraft fuel; on-demand air-charter; aircraft rental, storage, and flight training; aircraft maintenance, parts sales, and line support; as well as business aircraft or fractional ownership fleet management.

FMI: www.nata.aero