Air Transport Association Congratulates Annual 'Nuts and Bolts' Award Winners

Honorees Announced at MRO Americas Conference and Exhibition

WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Transport Association (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today congratulated the recipients of the 43rd annual ATA Nuts and Bolts Award.

The winner of the award in the industry category was Amos W. Hoggard, Technical Fellow at the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group; the winner in the airline category was Edward M. Walton, Manager of the Structures and Liaison Engineering Division at UPS Airlines.  

The ATA Engineering, Maintenance and Materiel Council (EMMC) recognized Hoggard for his remarkable 41-year commercial aviation career. Hoggard began his career as a structural engineer, eventually rising to become a Technical Fellow and manager of aging-structures projects for Boeing. He is an acknowledged expert in the field of designing and maintaining aircraft to safely endure years of flight operations. Hoggard leads committees tasked to develop standards that extend the service lives of airplanes while assuring high levels of safety and, recently, was called out of retirement to continue industry efforts in this area.

Walton was honored for his commercial aviation career of more than 24 years, during which he became widely recognized for his broad expertise and authority in the areas of aircraft structures, repairs and certification issues. As a member of the regulatory committee that develops standards for aging airplanes, he played a key leadership role in developing maintenance standards to prevent structural fatigue, and is actively involved in implementing complex preventative standards for in-service airplanes. Walton also serves as chairman of the ATA Airworthiness Committee, where he oversees the development of resolutions to regulatory matters of importance to both the EMMC and the industry.

"Implementing strategies that safely extend the life of aircraft is critically important, especially in today's challenging economic environment. Through their tireless dedication, these two outstanding professionals have greatly advanced airplane and airline engineering and maintenance operations," said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

The ATA Nuts and Bolts Award was established in 1967 by members of the ATA Engineering and Maintenance Committee, in order to recognize exemplary leadership in both airline and industry categories. Each award honors outstanding service and contributions to the airline industry over an extended period. Now selected by the Engineering, Maintenance and Materiel Council, the winners of the awards in both categories represent individuals who have gone the extra mile and succeeded in improving processes related to airline engineering, maintenance or materiel management. The awards were presented April 20 at the MRO Americas 2010 Conference and Exhibition in Phoenix, Arizona.

Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 11 million U.S. jobs. ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more industry information, visit www.airlines.org.

SOURCE Air Transport Association