AUSTINBURG TOWNSHIP — A lifetime commitment to aviation was awarded recently when the Federal Aviation Administration honored Alan C. Kettunen, of Saybrook Township, with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

Kettunen was surprised during an aviation meeting at the Geauga County Airport. He said family members and friends nominated him for the award that highlights professionalism, skill and aviation expertise as reasons for the award.

The FAA only presents the award to one half of one percent of all pilots licensed in the United States.

Kettunen owns and operates Kettunen Aeronautical at Germack Airport in Austinburg Township. He specializes in flight training and aircraft maintenance, but also rents planes and provides other services.

Kettunen said he developed an interest in flying when he was 14 years old and got his first pilot's license in 1968. "I flew out of this (Germack) airport," he said.

The young pilot grew up on a farm in the Andover area and has performed a variety of aviation functions over the years. He said every person is different when it comes to flying an airplane.

Kettunen said he has no idea how many people he has taught to fly. "You fly with a lot of people but you may not finish (with them)," he said of the many hours needed to become a pilot and life circumstances that change during the process.

"I usually fly 200 to 300 hours of flying training a year," he said.

The 69-year-old is presently the air show manager for D-Day Conneaut in mid-August and was instructor, and director, at Premier Flight School in Cleveland for several years.

Kettunen has spent most of his aviation time in Ashtabula County. He did not go to any specific aviation school, but attended a lot of "factory schools" to gain knowledge that he later passed on to students.

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