An Award and An Experience
Photos and Article by Joanne Taormina (also copilot)
On Wednesday, June 13th, I had the
opportunity to accompany David St. George to the
FAA Eastern Region Award Ceremony held at the
FAA Regional Headquarters in NYC. David
received the Eastern Region Administrator’s
Award for Extraordinary Service. He had been
nominated by Patrick O’Neill (the Principle
Operations Inspector of East Hill) and aptly
recognized by the FAA for exceptional services,
educational development and community
outreach he tirelessly and enthusiastically
provides for our club, its students and the public.
We flew into JFK in the mist of fog, rain and an
extremely busy radio! (This was David’s first time
flying into JFK and I thought he deserved an
award for this alone!) David had planned to take
the scenic route VFR down the Hudson River and
around Lady Liberty, but ATC had different ideas
for us about the time we reached the George
Washington Bridge. We converted to IFR and
were routed around the north side of Long Island
and right downwind for runway 4 left. Still, the thrill
was not diminished! The experience was
spectacular. We, and many planes around us,
were guided to the runways like a choreographed
dance. (I’m sure I heard a symphony playing in
the background of the ATC calls.)
We parked all by ourselves at the GAT
(General Aviation Terminal), an old and
underwhelming facility with few services but
received an exciting VIP tour of the airport on the
way to the FAA Headquarters. We learned that
the Port Authority employees train for
approximately 240 hours on how to maneuver
around the airport in their van (No clearances are
requested or given). Judging by the way they
were weaving in and out of the taxiways and
ramps full of 747’s, we fully appreciated their
expertise.
The ceremony was inspirational and I was
impressed with the reception David received from
several of the FAA officials. (Apparently, this guy
is really something – who knew??) Seriously, the
events of the day reinforced how fortunate I am to
be learning to fly in a club managed by such a
capable and knowledgeable chief. If you have a
chance, check out the shiny new plaque hanging
in David’s office and give him a pat on the back!
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Recent Awards; Thanks! 
