Poberezny Receives NBAA's American Spirit Award

Tom Poberezny, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, received the NBAA's American Spirit Award during the association's President's Luncheon sponsored by Fortune magazine on Monday.

The American Spirit Award is presented in recognition of an individual in business aviation who exemplifies the courage, pursuit of excellence and service to others that characterize men and women who created and nurtured the American aviation community.

Under Poberezny's leadership, the EAA has positively influenced the lives of thousands of youngsters by introducing them to aviation through the Young Eagles program. He also was recognized by the NBAA for his work with GA Team 2000 (now called Be a Pilot), an industry-wide effort to increase the general aviation pilot population.

On Sunday afternoon, EAA Young Eagles program grad Jarod Rosenwinkel and his parents met with Tom Poberezny at a Philips 66-sponsored press conference here in Las Vegas.

By the end of this year, EAA expects to have flown more than 450,000 youngsters under the Young Eagles program. The association is midway through a 10-year international effort to introduce one million young people to aviation by 2003, the centennial celebration of the advent of powered flight.