The Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award is named in honor of Mr. Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight. The Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics. Mr. Taylor served as the Wright brothers' mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.

If selected, you are awarded a certificate and a lapel pin. Your spouse also receives a smaller version of the lapel pin for his or her contribution. Recipients are recognized in our Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award - Roll of Honor located online, here, at FAASafety.gov!

The candidate must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Charles Taylor "Master Mechanic" award:

• Citizenship:  Be a U.S. citizen
• Employment:  Worked for a period of 50 years in an aviation maintenance career. (The 50 years may be computed consecutively or nonconsecutively.)
  • The applicant must have been an FAA-certificated mechanic or repairman working on N-registered aircraft maintained under the Federal aviation regulations for a minimum of 30 of the 50 years required.
  • The remaining 20 years may be accepted if that individual served as an aircraft mechanic/repairman in the U.S. military; or worked as an uncertificated person in a U.S. aviation maintenance facility that maintained U.S.-registered aircraft, either domestic or overseas; or worked as an uncertificated person in the aircraft manufacturing industry in the United States, producing U.S. type-certificated or U.S. military aircraft.
  NOTE: Any individual who had his or her FAA mechanic certificate, FAA repairman certificate, FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME), or FAA Inspection Authorization (IA) revoked by the FAA is ineligible for this award.

Follow application procedures located in the current Advisory Circular 65-26 .

Contact your local FSDO for more information.

If you have additional questions, or if you are a Master Mechanic Award recipient and your name is not on this list, please contact your local FAASTeam Program Manager.

Click here to view the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Roll of Honor.