Unlike many of the other contestants, who had to struggle and fight to get their designs to completion, David effortlessly completed his design and turned it in well ahead of the deadline. I wish every designer had the chance to witness the frustration and anguish of the Top Gun contestants who lost, not because they were poor designers, but because they lost the fight they had with their CAD tool. Using Mentor Expedition, David showed what a great designer is capable of doing when given a CAD tool that allows the designer to focus on design issues and not be distracted by tool quirks, problems and limitations. Not to mention, Graves' extensive knowledge of PCB design practices and requirements, signal integrity issues and superior design capabilities set him above the rest. Thirteen designers have been inducted into the PCB Top Gun Hall of Fame since the beginning of the competition in 1998.
Graves is the seventh individual who has used Expedition on a winning design.
In addition to his induction into the PCB Top Gun Hall of Fame, Graves has been awarded with a plaque and a leather bomber jacket.