Standing with his wife Claire, Doylestown Airport pilot Richard Becker (center) accepts the Master Pilot Award from local FAA official Bill VanArtsdalen.

Federal Aviation Administration Honors Longtime Doylestown Resident

Pilot Recognized for 50 Years of Safe Flying

              Longtime Doylestown resident Richard Becker, now of Columbia, NJ, was recently presented with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Wright Brother’s Master Pilot Award.  The award recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe flights for 50 years or more. 

There are only 1,401 recipients of the prestigious FAA award.  Each is given a certificate and lapel pin presented by a FAA official, in addition to a “Roll of Honor” listing on the FAA’s website.  A Doylestown Airport pilot, Becker received his award at the Doylestown Pilot Association’s breakfast seminar on Sept. 19. 

“I am thrilled to receive one of the aviation industry’s highest honors,” says Becker, who also flew as an American Airlines commercial pilot for 30 years.  “I have flown close to 25,000 hours in my lifetime.  I appreciate that the award recognizes both my personal and professional flying record.”

               “We are very happy and proud that the FAA has honored a Doylestown Airport pilot for 50 years of safe flying – an impressive record,” says Allen Black, chairman of the Bucks County Airport Authority.  “Richard sets an example for all of us to follow – that flying can be 100 percent safe given good planning, sound judgment and attention to detail.   We salute Richard on this well-deserved award.”  

              Adds Mark Dubowe of the Doylestown Pilot Association, “We congratulate Richard.  He is a consummate professional and is always there to share his flying experiences with other pilots.”

              This is the second FAA honor for Becker.  In 1993, during his commercial pilot years, Becker noticed the landing gear on an arriving plane from another airline was not lowered.  Becker notified the control tower.  His quick thinking allowed the pilot flying the plane to avert a possible emergency. 

                Becker started his flying career after graduating high school.  A Philadelphia native, he arrived at the former Buehl Field each week for flying lessons.  Nine months later, Becker received his private pilot’s license.

 “I had the desire to fly since I was four-years-old and noticed planes in the sky,” says Becker, who flew his Citabria airplane to Doylestown Airport to receive the FAA award.  “It was a childhood dream that came true for me.  I believe that if you set your sights high, you can accomplish anything.”

Founded in 1961, the Bucks County Airport Authority (BCAA) owns and operates the Doylestown and Quakertown Airports and provides aviation management assistance to the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation for the Van Sant Airport County Park.  The Doylestown Pilot Association (DPA) represents the pilots who own and/or fly aircraft in Bucks County.  For more information, visit the BCAA at www.bcaanet.org, and the DPA at www.dylpilot.org.