For her stellar service to general aviation through an exceptional and impactful career at the Federal Aviation Administration, Lirio Liu will be honored with the NATA Distinguished Public Service Award.
The award is a special honor selected by the NATA Board of Directors and members—recognizing outstanding public service and contributions to the industry. It will be presented as part of the NATA Industry Excellence Awards Luncheon, to be held in conjunction with the association’s Aviation Business Conference in Nashville, TN, on November 13.
Over a more than three-decade FAA career, Liu focused on providing first-class leadership to keep the nation’s airspace the safest and most robust in the world.
“I was fortunate to work with Lirio through her FAA certification role and as a fellow co-chair of the EAGLE [Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions] initiative,” said NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna. “I came to rely on Lirio’s leadership, her dedication and calm demeanor, and her strong focus on safety. We are a much safer industry thanks to the guidance and insight of Lirio and her teams.”
Liu recently retired from the agency, leading the team in Aircraft Certification Service – exactly where she began her career straight out of college. As executive director, Liu oversaw the operation responsible for type certification, production approval, and airworthiness certification for the U.S. civil aircraft fleet – including commercial and general aviation activities.
In this position, Liu oversaw a professional workforce of more than 1,400 employees working in FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C., 35 field offices across the U.S., and international offices located in Belgium and Singapore.
During her FAA career, Liu was at the seat for several significant achievements, which included the proposed “MOSIAC” rule (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification), opening the skies to a broader range of light sport aircraft and pilots.
In addition, Liu served as co-chair (along with NATA’s Castagna) of the EAGLE initiative, a collaborative government-industry program designed to help bring about a safe transition to a full unleaded future for the general aviation piston fleet no later than the end of 2030.
“Curt [Castagna] gave me a call, and said, ‘Don’t worry, I have good news for you,’” Liu explained. “When I learned about the award, I was very honored and somewhat humbled. I see it as recognition that the work we do as civil servants has real meaning and value.”
Tickets for the luncheon are available for purchase and are also included in the conference registration. For more information on attending the presentation and luncheon, please contact Jillian Williams at jwilliams@nata.aero.
