Valley resident receives prestigious aviation awards

Carson Valley resident James “Jim” Nunnelee was recently surprised by members of the Experimental Aviation Association at the Carson City Airport when representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration presented him with two significant awards that recognize over 50 years of aviation prowess.

Nunnelee received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award on March 20.

Eligibility for both awards are for pilots and senior aviation mechanics who have at least 50 years of experience in being a pilot and operation; and in aviation maintenance industry, for the Master Mechanic Award, 30 of these years must have been served as an FAA-certified mechanic or repairman.

Only a handful of recipients have received

Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team Program Manager Larry Cheek said that in all his years of presenting the awards only a handful have received both. Only 3,470 people have received the Master Mechanic Award and 8,410 Wright Brothers Mater Pilot awards.

Nunnelee, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, began his aviation experience earning his student pilot certificate in April 1958. In November of the same year he earned his A&P Mechanic Certificate. Three years later he received his Private Pilot Certificate and in 1978 enhanced his aviation mechanics resume with his Inspection Authorization Certificate.

He earned his degree in aircraft maintenance technology and also as an instructor in the aviation department for Glendale Community College in Southern California. Throughout his career, he was with Boeing, Western A/L, Lockheed and Aerojet.

Retiring to Carson Valley in the 1980s, Nunnelee immediately turned his passion for aviation into giving back and helping youth to discover the career opportunities available in the aviation field.

Active at both the Minden and Carson City airports, he has been active with the EAA and the Young Eagles Program, introducing youth to riding in planes and the pilots sharing their piloting experience and path with the riders.

Nunnelee’s involvement includes the Experimental Aircraft Builders Group, sharing aviation mechanics with youth interested in a career in aviation or.

The award process is a comprehensive nomination process that includes letters of recommendation from several individuals familiar with the experience, skills, and talents of the nominee.