The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) honored Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-4-OR) with its American Spirit Award, in recognition of his longtime service to the nation’s aviation community and his commitment to the National Aviation System.
DeFazio currently serves as chair of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) and has served on that committee since his election to represent Oregon’s fourth congressional district in 1987. He announced in December 2021 his intention to retire from Congress at the end of his current term, having served 36 years, as the longest-serving House member from Oregon.
“Our country has benefitted enormously from Chairman DeFazio’s decades of service to his constituents and his passionate commitment to representing the interests of the American people,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “He has always understood the importance of preserving America’s leadership in aviation, and the essential role that general aviation plays in our nation’s economy and transportation system.”
DeFazio was among the original members of the House General Aviation Caucus, a group formed with NBAA’s support in 2009. Throughout his time in Congress, he has been a key figure in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization policymaking.
He has been a steadfast proponent of keeping the nation’s airways accessible to all Americans. He expressed his staunch support for maintaining government oversight of ATC in a 2016 “Capital View” column for NBAA’s Business Aviation Insider magazine, in which he pledged to “continue to fight to preserve Americans’ right to use the airspace that belongs to all of us, not special interests.”
Most recently, DeFazio led congressional inquiries into aviation safety, which resulted in the 2020 passage of the bipartisan Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act.
The NBAA American Spirit Award is presented in recognition of an individual who exemplifies the courage, pursuit of excellence and service to others that characterizes the men and women who created and nurtured the American aviation community. Past recipients have included retired FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, former Rep. John Mica (R-7-FL), record-setting pilot Barrington Irving and “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger.
Learn more about the American Spirit Award.
