AIN monthly issue editor Kerry Lynch received the 2024 NBAA Gold Wing Award on Tuesday morning during the NBAA-BACE media kickoff breakfast. She was recognized for her story marking the 30th anniversary of the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) published in the August 2024 issue of Aviation International News. The Gold Wing is presented by NBAA annually for "excellent, accurate, and insightful reporting on issues related to business aviation."
In the story, Lynch recounted the critical stage that the general aviation industry was in as the high cost of product liability threatened aircraft manufacturers in this space. She wrote, “Simply put, manufacturers could no longer afford the long liability tail left by their 40-plus-year-old machines. That was the backdrop for a nearly decade-long battle that culminated in the 1994 passage of…GARA. One of the most significant victories for the industry, it was a massive undertaking in a Congress that had little appetite for product liability reform.
“It was an effort that brought together an interesting mix of House and Senate Democrats and Republicans, the business and general aviation industry, labor, and even the airline community.” It culminated with then-President Bill Clinton signing it into law on Aug. 17, 1994.
“Kerry Lynch did a masterful job in recreating one of the most seminal moments in general aviation history,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, who at the time was an aide to then-Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kansas), the chief architect of GARA. “Her story explains how industry stakeholders and members of both parties mobilized with a united voice to win passage of GARA.”