A mechanic’s certificate is a license to learn.
We’ve all heard the expression, which has regulatory and practical foundations. Technicians must demonstrate the knowledge gained through training and experience to exercise the privileges of their certificates. It takes time up front—ARSA members once reported needing nine months (at least) to onboard a new mechanic—and demands constant attention.
Everyone in aerospace must commit to continual improvement. Part of that commitment includes recognizing the achievement of those who have dedicated their professional life to growth. On March 20, ARSA did just that by recognizing Jerry Crowley with its Leo Weston Award for Excellence in Government Service. Crowley is a long time FAA aviation safety inspector who was a professional protégé and friend to the award’s namesake.
“Unfortunately, we are running out of deserving recipients,” ARSA Managing Director & General Counsel Marshall Filler said about the award, noting the association’s interest in bestowing it on professionals who knew Weston personally. “But we’re very thankful that some of them, including this year’s recipient, are still around.”
Marshall was standing before the full Grand Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Virginia and about to commence the morning-long regulatory discussion of ARSA’s Annual Repair Symposium—the most heavily attended and longest running element of the association’s Annual Conference.
Jerry was in attendance along with multiple agency colleagues, unaware of his selection until Marshall announced it. He was doubly unaware the ARSA team had chosen him for the award in 2024 but delayed its delivery until he could be physically present (the plaque, as Filler joked, still reads 2024 since the association was wary of records falsification).
The Weston award was established in 2005. That year, ARSA bestowed it on Leo himself, recognizing his heavy influence in the association’s founding. As an FAA official, Leo advocated for the creation of an organization to represent the interests of maintenance providers.
Since the association came together in 1984, it has been inspired by his long life of professional and personal dedication to public good. Especially since his death in 2020, ARSA has been committed to recognizing the senior officials who personally knew Leo and shared his mutual respect.
Crowley has been in federal service with the FAA for 35 years. Currently assigned to the Lincoln [Nebraska] Flight Standards District Office, he was a Department of Defense fleet manager before joining the agency in 1990. He has previously received the 2024 Vai Lipsky Integration Team Award from the FAA, which recognized his contribution to integration efforts in the Office of Aviation Safety.
Avid readers of AviationPros have already seen Crowley’s response to the surprise award. He proclaimed how “undeserving” he was – a sentiment he repeated off stage – and exhorted attendees to remember regulatory history in their current compliance efforts. For anyone familiar with ARSA’s principals, Crowley’s philosophical points made clear why he’s fostered an effective working relationship with the association and why he’s of such value to the government and the industry.
The point worth repeating is his commitment to lifelong learning, a focus originating in Weston’s wisdom.
“One thing Leo always taught me was: ‘Young man, you’re going to meet a lot of people in your aviation career that know a lot about aviation. But you’re never going to meet someone who knows everything about aviation. It’s your responsibility to learn something new every day in your job. If you don’t do that, you’re not doing your job.’ I have lived by that philosophy my entire career,” said Crowley.
That philosophical commitment has made Crowley a valued public servant and trusted partner to the industry in pursuing aviation safety. His recognition with the Weston Award may highlight his achievement and help further the memory of his regulatory mentor, but the real value of Crowley’s commitment to good government is felt every day by both the industry and also the public it serves—whether or not they recognize the value of a humble aviation safety inspector.
We all have been given the license to learn. The most impactful among us will choose to live to learn.
For more information about the Weston Award, visit arsa.org/weston-award.
To learn more about ARSA’s Annual Conference which the association will host next from March 17-20, 2026, visit arsa.org/conference.
