Decades of Dedication: FAA Recognizes NAAA Member Jim Bartholomew

Last week NAAA Member Jim Bartholomew, the long-time manager of Iowa’s Storm Lake Municipal Airport, was honored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.  The award recognizes pilots with over five decades of safe flight operations and dedication to aviation excellence. His wife, Dorie, was also given the Wright Brothers Master Pilot spouse recognition award, which is a recognition that a pilot’s long career in aviation often requires significant dedication and support from their spouse. The pin she received is similar in design to the one awarded to the pilot. Bartholomew also received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, a lifetime achievement honor awarded to certified mechanics with more than 50 years of exemplary service. Receiving both awards is an extraordinary accomplishment. Bartholomew is now one of only about a dozen individuals in the U.S. to earn both honors.

Bartholomew has been a cornerstone of the local aviation community in his hometown, Storm Lake, Iowa. His leadership and technical expertise have made a lasting impact on the Storm Lake Municipal Airport and the broader ag aviation industry. Bartholomew’s dual recognition by the FAA is a testament not only to his technical skill and dedication, but also to a lifelong passion for flight and service to the aviation community.

Congratulations to Jim Bartholomew on this extraordinary milestone and a lifetime devoted to aviation.