National Aviation Events Specialist and 2018 ICAS Bob Hoover Wingman Award recipient, Sue Gardner, has retired after a 28-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration. Throughout her career, Gardner has served as an essential policy liaison between ICAS and FAA regulators.
“As two different stints as head of air show policy development for the FAA, she has helped to build and nurture a uniquely effective relationship between regulators and the industry,” ICAS president and CEO, John Cudahy, said. “She has provided thoughtful, objective oversight while relying on the air show industry itself to police safety issues and ensure a culture of safety.”
Through Gardner’s cooperation and trust with ICAS and the air show community, the industry has evolved to hold a new level of safety awareness and has benefitted from a significant drop in air show accidents over the past decade.
“It’s been such an honor working as a 28-year public servant for the FAA, and the two stints I’ve had supporting ICAS and the air show community have been the highlights of my career,” Gardner said, after receiving the Bob Hoover Wingman Award. “And it’s truly been an honor to be able to support you in doing what you do because it’s so important to the aviation community.”
To see the entire acceptance speech, click here.
