Twirly Birds announced that the 2016 recipient of the prestigious Les Morris award is Anthony Melvin “Mel” O’Reilly. The award is presented annually by Twirly Birds as a lifetime achievement award to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the helicopter community.
As the founder of Eagle Copters in Calgary, Canada, O’Reilly was a part of the Royal Canadian Air Force in field helicopter maintenance before working as an engineer and pilot around the world. He will be presented the award by Sergei Sikorsky during the Twirly Birds annual membership meeting here at Heli-Expo 2016 in Louisville today at 5 p.m. at the Marriott Downtown Hotel.
Twirly Birds was started 70 years ago in 1945 as an international body aimed at fostering fellowship among in the helicopter community. General membership qualification requirements include that a prospective member must have flown solo in a helicopter or vertical lift aircraft within the last 20 years.