AEA executive presented with Charles Taylor Master Mechanic award

During the opening session of the 66th annual Aircraft Electronics Association International Convention & Trade Show on April 24, 2023, the FAA presented the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award to Ric Peri, the association’s vice president of government and industry affairs.

The award is named in honor of Charles Taylor, the first aviation mechanic in powered flight, and recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of senior mechanics. Taylor served as the Wright brothers’ mechanic and is credited with designing and building the engine for their first successful aircraft.

Robert Jex, FAASTeam program manager at the FAA’s Flight Standards District Office in Orlando, presented Peri the award. Peri has more than 50 years in aviation maintenance as a mechanic, instructor, writer, consultant, and auditor.

Following graduation from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, Peri began turning wrenches in April 1972 at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, as a helicopter mechanic, where he worked on UH-1N Hueys. In 1975, he transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard working on the HH-52 helicopter. In 1978, Peri transitioned to C-130 maintenance.

In 1986, Peri earned his mechanic certificate with A&P ratings and began working as an aircraft mechanic at airports in California, followed by central Florida, and later Maryland. He earned his private pilot certificate in March 1987 and later earned inspection authorization with what is now the Tampa FSDO in 1990.

Upon his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1998, Peri was appointed director of maintenance for the National Air Transportation Association. He has been involved with the FAA Safety Team and has assisted several FSDOs with IA and repair station training programs. Peri also owns a Cessna 172 and has restored and currently maintains the aircraft.

In his current role with the AEA, Peri advocates for the avionics and maintenance industries before the aviation authorities worldwide with a primary focus on the Americas, Europe, and the South Pacific regions.

As an instructor, Peri has supported the aviation industry as adjunct professor at two universities and conducted organized training and education for the association’s membership. He also has been a guest speaker at several industry events worldwide.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition,” Peri said. “Charles Taylor, the namesake of this award, saw powered flight from its birth to the introduction of the jet age. My career has taken me from round motors, tube radios, and sextants to electric propulsion, autonomous flight, and artificial intelligence. I am truly blessed to have been a part of this journey for the past 50 years. I wonder what the next 50 years will bring.”

To see the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award Roll of Honor, click here.

More than 1,400 representatives from avionics manufacturers, repair stations, approved maintenance organizations, and other general aviation professionals have converged at 2023 AEA Convention, which is running through April 27 at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.