Lowell Farrand of Ligonier, Ind., has been selected as the 2013 recipient of EAA’s Tony Bingelis Award, recognizing his involvement in the homebuilt aviation community. He will be honored Aug. 1 at the EAA AirVenture Fly-In in Oshkosh.
Farrand was a part of the original EAA designee program in the 1960s working alongside of EAA founder Paul Poberezny and Tony Bingelis. He specializes in homebuilt aircraft and is a safety advocate and innovator for aviation.
In addition to helping others ensure safety in building and flying, he has achieved major accomplishments in the aviation communit,y including co-designing and piloting the first powered parachute in the United States, building and demonstrating some of the first gyroplanes in the U.S., and he has served as a FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative since 2004.
Farrand is a founding chapter member and the Young Eagles coordinator of EAA Chapter 132 (Elkhart, Ind.), which since its inception has been known as “the builders unit.” He previously received the “Man and Machine” prize from EAA in 1972 for his efforts at Oshkosh.
Some comments from Farrand’s nomination include: “He is aviation personified,” “…lives and breathes aviation and he has passed that passion on to us,” and he is “…one of experimental aviation’s most remarkable builders, safety advocates and innovators.”
Farrand will receive the Tony Bingelis Award on Thursday, Aug. 1, during the AirVenture Homebuilders Dinner in the Nature Pavilion. Tickets for the dinner must be purchased in advance and are available at Homebuilders Headquarters on the EAA grounds.
The Tony Bingelis Award was created in 2002 to recognize a member from the aviation community who has contributed to homebuilt projects and safety promotion while maintaining EAA values. The award honors the late Tony Bingelis, who was noted as a homebuilding authority and EAA Sport Aviation columnist.
Way to go Lowell!!!!!, could not have happened to a more deserving person.