2018 Volunteers of the Year Announced

July 21, 2018 - The 2018 EAA Volunteers of the Year have been announced and this year’s crop of winners represents many of the values that EAA holds important. There are four 2018 Volunteers of the Year Award recipients: Dr. John “Jack” Hastings, Donna Sisk, and Ken and Linda Jordan.

Jack, EAA 451228, was an institution on EAA’s Aeromedical Advisory Council from 1994 to 2016, helping countless pilots get their FAA medical certificates, and was key in guiding EAA’s efforts to make the medical policy more pilot-friendly.

In 2013, the FAA released its Conditions an AME Can Issue (CACI) program, which covers 18 conditions from hypertension to breast cancer and empowers doctors to issue on-the-spot approvals for certain conditions, dramatically decreasing the time many pilots spend in the certification process. Jack was heavily involved in this program and was recognized by the federal air surgeon when CACI was rolled out. He was also instrumental in EAA’s efforts to rollback an overreaching sleep apnea screening policy by the FAA. Additionally, through EAA’s Pilot Advocate program, Jack helped organize and guide a group of more than 100 aviation medical examiners (AMEs) to provide personal service to EAA members.

Donna, EAA Lifetime 68843, has been volunteering with EAA for 48 years, most of which has been spent as the chairman of the South Maintenance Support Group. Donna’s duties have included the coordination of volunteers to get much of the behind-the-scenes work done prior to, during, and after EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each year.

Donna oversees and coordinates 50 to 75 volunteers and projects, ensuring jobs are done correctly and on time. She was the 2010 recipient of the Dorothy Hilbert Award, which is awarded to a female volunteer who exhibits passion, dedication, and devotion for volunteerism.

Ken, EAA 481552, and Linda, EAA 481553, volunteer in the North 40 area, and are known for their collaboration to make continuous improvements to the areas they touch. Both are members of EAA Chapter 74 in Orlando, Florida, and Ken is currently the chapter’s Young Eagles coordinator and has flown close to 1,400 Young Eagles.