Schreiber Honored with Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

BY MELANIE BUCK –

Retired pilot Ken Schreiber was honored by his peers at Mena Air Center on Thursday night for receiving the Federal Aviation Administration’s prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years. Recipients are awarded a certificate and a lapel pin and are recognized in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Roll of Honor.

Ken Schreiber received the award from Heather Metzler, FAAST (Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team) Program Manager at Little Rock FSDO, (FAA).

Over 50 years and approximately 30,000 flight hours, Schreiber has made a very successful career as a flight instructor and corporate pilot.  He is well known, and well loved by members of the community and especially those on the field of Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport.

Schreiber and his wife, Theresa, moved to Board Camp after retiring in the early 1980’s.  “We moved down here to retire, but I started flying for Brodix and then eventually started a little flying service and began flight instruction here.  I taught quite a few people to fly here and I try and teach all the safety procedures in the plane and give good instruction.”

At a previous event honoring Schreiber in November, Airport Manager Will Robbins said, “He is a real world teacher and teaches what will happen while you’re in the air and how to handle it.  He helped me an awful lot with my flying.  In aviation, you are always paying it forward, the old guy teaches the young guy and then he becomes the old guy.  I could never repay Ken for what he did for me. I have to do it for another guy,” Robbins said.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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