Subject: CHARLES TAYLOR “MASTER 

MECHANIC” AWARD 

Date: 12/20/04 

Initiated by: AFS-305

AC No: 65-26C 

Change: 

1. PURPOSE. This revised advisory circular (AC) adds the requirement that this award will be

issued only to a U.S. citizen who worked on U.S.-registered aircraft or U.S. military aircraft

and/or their component parts. This revision also clarifies the administrative procedures to ensure 

that an award winner’s name is submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft 

Maintenance Division (AFS-300) for inclusion into the “Roll of Honor.” 

 

2. CANCELLATION. AC 65-26B, Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award, dated July 2, 

1998, is canceled. 

3. DESCRIPTION. The Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award is the most prestigious 

award the FAA issues to persons certificated under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 

part 65. This award is named after Charles Taylor, the first aircraft mechanic, to recognize 

individuals who have spent over 50 years in the aircraft maintenance profession as “master 

mechanics.” The award is an 8-1/2 by 11-inch certificate and distinctive lapel pin. The certificate 

is signed by the FAA Administrator. Upon request, a stickpin similar in design to the lapel pin is 

also provided to the award winner’s spouse in recognition of his or her support to the award 

winner’s aviation maintenance career. Once the award has been issued, the recipient’s name will 

be added to the Roll of Honor, a leather-bound book on display at the entrance to the FAA 

Aircraft Maintenance Division (AFS-300) in FAA Headquarters, the Orville Wright Federal 

Building, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. 

4. ELIGIBILITY. The candidate must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the “Master

Mechanic” award: 

a. Be a U.S. citizen. 

b. Worked for a period of 50 years in an aviation maintenance career. (The 50 years may be 

computed consecutively or nonconsecutively.) 

(1) The applicant must have been an FAA-certificated mechanic or repairman working 

on an N-registered aircraft maintained under the Federal aviation regulations for a minimum of 

30 of the 50 years required. 
AC 65-26C 12/20/04 

(2) The remaining 20 years may be accepted if that individual served as an aircraft 

mechanic/repairman in the U.S. military; or worked as an uncertificated person in the 

U.S. aviation maintenance facility that maintained U.S.-registered aircraft, either domestic or 

overseas; or worked as an uncertificated person in the aircraft manufacturing industry in the 

United States, producing U.S. type-certificated or U.S. military aircraft. 

c. Any individual who had his or her FAA mechanic certificate, FAA repairman certificate, 

FAA Designated Mechanic Examiner, or FAA Inspection Authorization revoked by the FAA is 

ineligible for this award.

d. When determining the eligibility of the applicant, the selection committee should consider 

previous FAA enforcement activity against the applicant’s certificate, other than revocation. 

5. APPLICATION. Any person who meets the eligibility requirements, or a sponsor on behalf 

of the eligible person, may apply for the award by sending a notarized letter to the local Flight 

Standards District Office (FSDO), certificate management office (CMO), or International Field 

Office (IFO). This letter must contain the following information:

a. The applicant’s name, address, telephone number, certificate number, type of certificate 

held, and the rating (e.g., Mechanic certificate: Airframe and Powerplant rating or Repairman, 

non-destructive inspection, etc.). 

b. Résumé of the applicant’s aviation maintenance employment history. The résumé can list 

employment by weeks, months, or years, as long as the total work experience in aviation 

maintenance adds up to 50 years. 

c. Three letters of recommendation from certificated mechanics or repairman recommending 

the applicant for the award. 

d. A short letter requesting the award based on the information submitted. If the letter is 

from a sponsor, it must include the sponsor’s name and telephone number. 

6. PROCEDURES FOR SELECTION. 

a. At least once a year, or as often as needed, the local FSDO/CMO/IFO airworthiness

supervisor or his or her delegated person will form a “Master Mechanic” selection committee. 

The committee will consist of three or five members, and one FAA representative. All members 

of the committee must hold either an FAA mechanic or FAA repairman certificate. The FAA 

representative ensures that the applicant’s paperwork and eligibility is in order. 

b. The purpose of the committee is to review application letters and résumés, determine the 

eligibility of applicants, and select those eligible applicants to receive the Charles Taylor “Master 

Mechanic” Award. Each applicant is chosen based on a majority vote. Then the committee will 

submit the list of eligible names to the FSDO/CMO/IFO for further action. The following 

procedures also apply. 

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12/20/04 AC 65-26C 

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(1) There is no limit to the number of awards a FSDO/CMO/IFO can issue during a year. 

(2) The award will be presented publicly at a suitable FAA or industry function. 

(3) An award may be presented posthumously, for a period of time not to exceed 3 years. 

(4) The FSDO/CMO/IFO may obtain award certificates and pins from their Regional 

Flight Standards Division office specialist through AFS-300. 

7. ISSUING THE AWARD. The award will be issued by the local FSDO/CMO/IFO in the 

geographic location in which the applicant resides. The FSDO/CMO/IFO airworthiness 

supervisor or his or her designated person will notify the AFS-300 coordinator via e-mail or fax 

that a Charles Taylor “Master Mechanic” Award has been issued. The e-mail notification must 

include the award winner’s name, certificate number, and city and state where he or she resides. 

The AFS-300 coordinator will update the electronic version of the Roll of Honor within 

30 working days from the receipt of the e-mail. The leather-bound Roll of Honor will be revised 

every 60 working days. A list of award winners is available on the Internet at 

http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/safety/. 

/s/ James J. Ballough 

Director, Flight Standards Service