On Wednesday, Claudia Simpson Jones and Graham Simpson received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award during a special ceremony at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The award is part of the agency’s recognition of safe pilots.

To be eligible for the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the applicant must hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or FAA pilot certificate, have 50 or more years of piloting experience, or 50 or more years combined experience in both piloting and aircraft operations.

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation from someone in the industry along with a detailed account of their aviation experiences. 

The application packets for Simpson Jones and Simpson were a little over an inch thick, and according to an FAA representative, “enjoyable reading.”

Simpson Jones, 79, started her aviation career with her first solo on December 3, 1967. As if that wasn’t enough of a memorable experience, an aviation luminary was in attendance. 

“William T. Piper was there the day I soloed,” Simpson Jones said. 

She earned her private pilot certificate in March 1968 and continued training, earning a helicopter rating, commercial certificate for airplane, seaplane rating, Airline Transport Pilot and CFI certificates, and type rating in a Boeing 737. She was one of the first women to be hired by a major airline when she became a first officer for Continental Airlines in 1977.

Eventually her career took her to Southwest Airlines and the captain’s seat as well. She became an simulator instructor for Alaska Airlines for a time, eventually retiring from aviation in 2000 with 24,000 hours logged.

Among her aviation accolades, she served as the first president of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA+21).

She didn’t learn to fly to get to the airlines, she said. Also a musician, she originally learned to fly as a means of transportation, flying her band around in a Piper Cherokee Six.

“I had maybe 40-something hours at the time, and the band would just jump in the airplane and we’d go,” she said, noting that music remains a big part of her life.

She was working as a CFI when she intercepted her younger brother Graham on his way home from high school. Ten years his senior, she was in charge, she said. Simpson said he remembers her telling him, “We’re going to the airport for an hour,” and she then gave him a flying lesson.

Graham Simpson soloed on September 23, 1970, in a Piper Colt and earned his private pilot certificate in 1971 right after his 17th birthday. Like his sister, he spent the next few years adding ratings, including commercial, helicopter, instrument, CFI, Flight Engineer, ATP, and type rating in a B-737 and Airbus A320. 

Simpson spent 41 years at the airlines, racking up more than 30,000 hours. Some of those were flown in the former Piedmont Airlines 737 now on display at the Museum of Flight. 

“The last time I was in this airplane was in 1985,” said Simpson, taking the left seat for a photo op with his sister.

The post Brother, Sister Receive FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Henderson Trophy was founded in 1960 and named after Clifford W. Henderson, an enthusiastic aviation proponent during the so-called “Golden Age” of aviation. He was the managing director of the National Air Races from 1938 to 1939 and is credited with obtaining sponsors for races such as the Thompson closed course classic and transcontinental race that became known as the Bendix Trophy race.

• READ MORE: Seeing Yourself In the Left Seat

The Henderson award is given annually to a living individual, group of individuals, or an organization whose vision, leadership, or skill made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation and aerospace. Nominees are proposed by the NAA president and must be approved by the NAA executive committee.

According to the NAA, Sisters of the Skies Inc is being honored for its commitment to increase awareness of the opportunities in aviation and efforts to increase the number of Black female pilots. The group conducts outreach programs and provides scholarships, mentoring, and opportunities for professional development.

• READ MORE: Tenacity Helped This C-130 Pilot Earn Her Wings

“The growth of aviation as an industry and as a career is threatened by the lack of a broad pipeline for talent,” said NAA president and CEO Greg Principato. “Sisters of the Skies makes an incredible contribution to solving that problem. They are building the future of aviation. It is exactly this kind of passion and commitment that we seek to honor with the Clifford Henderson Trophy, and it will be an honor to present the 2023 award to Sisters of the Skies.”

Sisters of the Skies History

Sisters of the Skies was created in 2016 by two pilots with the intent of helping the few Black female pilots flying for the military and in commercial aviation to make professional connections. Since its inception, the organization has grown to one that provides representation to new pilots and support to those already enjoying aviation careers.

• READ MORE: Founders of Sisters of the Skies Share a Colorful Vision of Aviation

“The Henderson Trophy holds profound significance for Sisters of the Skies, serving as a testament to our unwavering dedication and commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable industry,” said Sisters of the Skies co-founder Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw. “This prestigious award validates our mission, recognizes our accomplishments, and powerfully affirms the impact we are making in the field of aviation. We are honored to be a recipient.”

The award will be celebrated at the Sisters of the Skies Scholarship Gala on February 3.

The National Aeronautic Association is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to fostering aviation activities and promoting the importance of aviation and space flight to the general public. The NAA certifies all national aviation records set in the United States and is the caretaker of some of the many aviation awards in the world.

The post Sisters of the Skies Recognized with National Aeronautic Association Award appeared first on FLYING Magazine.