2011 National General Aviation Award Winners Named

2011 NATIONAL FAA SAFETY TEAM REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR: Master CFI Vicki Lynn Sherman is a teacher, mentor, and aviation safety advocate. As an Aviation Safety Counselor and FAASTeam Representative, she has been involved in the FAA's safety program since 1992. She works at the FAASTeam's National Resource Center in Lakeland, Florida, as a video production crewmember, presentation developer, and presenter for the North Florida FSDO and the FAA Production Studios. She is also the owner and president of Aero Supplies & Express, Inc (www.Aero-Supplies.net/) located in Daytona Beach, Florida.

During the year as a FAASTeam Lead Representative, Vicki conducts monthly safety programs. She arranges for a wide variety of aviation experts to speak to local pilots. She is a member of the Safety Program Speakers Bureau for north Florida. During the week of the annual Sun 'n Fun International Fly In and Expo in Lakeland, she serves as a crewmember for the FAA Production Studios.

Her passion for flying comes from her earliest recollections of flight -- barely being able to see over the Bonanza's dashboard while landing on grass strips and viewing Mount Rushmore from a doorless helicopter. After graduating from college, she finally had the time to devote to earning her flying credentials. These include an airline transport pilot certificate and certificated flight instructor (CFI).

Her first aviation job was managing the day-to-day operations at a flight school and fixed base operation. She developed and promoted flight training programs for international students, assisting them with their entry and exit paperwork and finding housing for them during their training.

Vicki has been a lifelong supporter and member of The Ninety-Nines having served at every level of the organization from chapter chairperson to International President. Currently, she is a permanent member of the Board of Trustees for The Bonnie & Archie Gann Scholarship for flight instructor applicants. Representing The Ninety Nines, she has contributed to Sun 'n Fun, the NASA Aerospace Education Program, and the National Intercollegiate Flying Association.

An advisor for Women in Aviation-Florida First Coast Chapter, she shares the goals of the organization. Vicki mentors other women to attain their objectives in aviation and works to educate young women in the important roles women play in the aviation industry. Numerous boards of directors benefit from her experience including the Florida Association of Flight Instructors, the National Aviation Safety Foundation, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Board of Visitors, and the National Silver Wings Fraternity. She is a member of AOPA, EAA, SAFE, and Women in Aviation while also serving in the Civil Air Patrol.

Sherman (VickiLynnSherman@cs.com) represented the Orlando/North Florida FSDO area and the FAA's Southern Region. This year's other regional winners include Gerald "Jerry" Harris of Wilmington, DE (FAA's Eastern Region); Mark Edward Hartz of Almyra, AR (FAA's Southwestern Region); Scott Daniel Johnson is from Eagan, MN (FAA's Great Lakes Region); MCFI William Henry "Bill" Schroeder of Carson City, NV (FAA's Western Pacific Region); John Robert Scott of Denver, CO (FAA's Northwest Mountain Region); and James Edward "Jim" Trusty of Old Hickory, TN (FAA's Central Region).

Support and sponsorship for the General Aviation Awards program is provided by Women in Aviation International (WAI), The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE), the Professional Aviation Maintenance Assn. (PAMA), the National Business Aviation Assn. (NBAA), the National Assn. of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), the National Air Transportation Assn. (NATA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. (GAMA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Experimental Aircraft Assn. (EAA), the Aircraft Maintenance Technology Society (AMTSociety), the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn. (AOPA), the Aeronautical Repair Station Ass'n (ARSA), and the Aircraft Electronics Assn. (AEA).