The USUA Awards Committee is proud to announce its service awards for 2005. Individuals and organizations, which have been awarded these prestigious honors, are examples of outstanding service and dedication to the ultralight and light sport aviation community. Below is a brief description about each recipient. Plan to attend USUA's Annual Meeting in Lakeland, Florida, on Friday, April 7, 2006. You will hear more about these fine individuals and organizations, and meet the recipients at the USUA Awards Ceremony.
Recognizing The USUA Club who has demonstrated an exceptional level of service to the Ultralight Community, as Well as the Local Community in which it operates.
This year's winner is: USUA Club #357 - Michigan Ultralight Association, Flushing Michigan
As reported by Award winner Jerry Rosie in his February 2005 Around The Patch column, this year's theme for many of the clubs seemed to be "Community Service". Many clubs have followed the lead of past Club Of The Year award winners such as The Georgia Sport Flyers, Flying Club 1 of VA, The Millennium Flyers of Chambersburg PA, and others, and have gone out of their way to promote activities and causes benefiting the local community. This year, USUA honors The Michigan Ultralight Association (USUA Club 357) for their outstanding efforts in supporting the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, it is a trust fund established by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North in 2004, to help ensure that the children of American Service Personnel who have been killed, or permanently 100% disabled in Iraq, get a chance to go to college. This very praiseworthy cause extends far beyond the local community and crosses into the national arena. This unselfish gesture by our fellow ultralighters in Michigan, mirrors the compassion, and concern we as a nation have for the families and loved ones of our nations greatest heroes: those who gave all for our freedoms. And, by donating and serving this cause in the name of ultralighters, our sport is not only enhanced in the sight of the American public, it helps us as a community maintain our focus on the most resolute of priorities. Yes, we love to fly, but without the freedoms bought and paid for by our fallen and disabled heroes, we would not be able to enjoy that freedom of flight as we know it in the USA. These champions of our freedoms were helping us, and we in turn need to help their families.
USUA gratefully acknowledges the efforts of The Michigan Ultralight Association, and proudly awards them the 2005 USUA Club Of The Year Award.
Recognizing the USUA member whose volunteer service has contributed to the direct benefit of USUA. This year's winner is: Jerry Rosie
Volunteer; noun:
Every month Jerry wades through EVERY club newsletter that USUA receives, and reports and comments on the activities of each club within the USUA Club Network. This effort not only requires a huge amount of his personal time, but also demands the dedication to follow through with this task each and every month. And, when there is little to report (such as during the non-flying Winter months), Jerry must come up with something interesting (or at least humorous). And for his efforts, he gets no financial reimbursement for this job. Such is the life of Jerry Rosie; volunteer extraordinaire. Jerry's "Around The Patch" column on the USUA website has grown into much more than just a report of club activities. His unique writing style has made his column one of the most read pages on the website. So popular in fact, that it is included in the USUA section of UltraFlight Magazine. Even after 34 months of continuous service, Jerry still approaches each issue of his column with the same fervor and dedication as the showed USUA members with his first offering in May of 2003.
USUA gratefully thanks Jerry Rosie for his volunteer's dedication, and the most excellent product and service he has provided to USUA members. We present the 2005 Volunteer Of The Year award to him.
Recognizing The Manufacturer, Business Or Corporation who has demonstrated an exceptional level of service to the Ultralight Community, as Well as the Local Community in which it operates. This year's winner is: Kemmeries Aviation
Long considered the US Trike Guru, John Kemmeries has been involved with ultralights since the 1970's. Beginning with Hang Gliders, and moving toward power with trikes, John came to the forefront early in Ultralight history. John and his staff of highly trained and enthusiastic instructors have operated out of their Arizona flight school since the early 1990's, and have trained hundreds of students and sold just as many trikes. Kemmeries Aviation has been chosen by America's trike community as the place to learn the sport, and when FAA wanted the Light Sport Aircraft Branch to learn to fly trikes, they turned to Kemmeries Aviation to accomplish the task. Most recently, Air Creation USA, Kemmeries' sister company, was able to achieve Special Light Sport certification for two trikes, the first in the industry. Additionally, Kemmeries Aviation staff has produced a new Weightshift training manual that has taken the market by storm. It provides the student not only with triking basics and instruction, but also imparts the vast knowledge of this revered flight school to those using the manual. The sport of Ultralight Trikes has been enhanced by the presence and dedication of John Kemmeries and Kemmeries Aviation, and USUA gratefully thanks them for their excellent efforts by awarding them the USUA Ultralight Industry Award.
Recognizing media or communicator who has demonstrated an exceptional level of service to the Ultralight Community. This year's winner is: UltraFlight Radio
UltraFlight Radio, and host Roy Beisswenger, received this award last year for their groundbreaking efforts in providing real-time news and interviews for the Ultralight and Light Sport Aircraft community. Their weekly broadcast is thought provoking, informative, sometimes humorous, and sets the bar at a higher level for all Internet, print and broadcast news providers. In 2005 with the addition of providing available podcast downloads, the show is now available and able to be played and replayed on computers and portable media players on-demand at the listeners convenience. Such up to the moment technology is making it easier for those in our sport to not only be made aware of news and developments, but also allow user-selected interviews to be used by listeners even when no Internet connection is available.
Roy wears many hats in our industry, and each compliment the overall experience provided by UltraFlight Radio.
USUA gratefully presents, for the second year in a row, The USUA Communication Award to UltraFlight Radio.
Recognizing those who have demonstrated an exceptional level of service to the direct benefit of USUA. This year's winner is: Shawn Okun
Since December 2003, Shawn Okun, along with his company Float Planes And Amphibs, have been approaching sport aviation a little differently. They offer specialized flight instruction in fixed wing, trike and powered parachute, in both land and sea configurations. As their name suggests, seaplane flying is their specialty. Since the company first came onto the scene, Shawn and his staff have supported USUA. They have recommended USUA membership to all students, have used the USUA Airman Registration Program in it's entirety, and have turned to USUA HQ to solve problems. As we all know, here are other organizations he could have turned to, but Float Planes and Amphibs have actively supported USUA throughout their existence. Their involvement in the sport also crosses over to design and application of aircraft fitted with special controls for pilots with disabilities, allowing even those challenged with certain physical difficulties the opportunity to fly for fun. Because of this dedication, USUA awards Shawn Okun, and the staff of Float Planes And Amphibs the USUA Meritorious Service Award for 2005