On March 15, ARSA gave its 2019 Leo Weston Award to two exceptional individuals from member companies. Werner Luehmann, head of regulatory compliance and authorities’ liaison at Lufthansa Technik and also Howard Whyte, quality fellow in regulatory compliance and aftermarket services for Collins Aerospace. The association presented the award jointly for the first time in order to recognize the career accomplishments of these international industry professionals – an American and a German. Each represent the commitment to safety and practical business sense needed for long-term success in the global aviation maintenance industry.

Luehmann served in the German Air Force before earning his degree in aeronautical engineering from Brunswick Technical University. He entered civilian service in 1981 as a design engineer for Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. In 1985, Luehmann joined Lufthansa German Airlines, Hamburg and moved to the quality management department at Lufthansa Technik in 1989. He has long been a fixture at ARSA events and has participated regularly in the association’s broad engagement with both American and European regulators.

2019 Leo Weston Award Honorees Howard Whyte (Left) and Werner Luehmann (Center Front) post with Marshall Filler and Sarah MacLeod during ARSA’s 2019 Member Meeting.

Whyte began his career as an airline mechanic, making stops at Pan Am, TWA and Presidential Airways. In 1996 he transitioned to the repair station environment, becoming quality assurance manager for Sermatech International’s Mid-Atlantic facility. He has worked for Collins Aerospace as well as its predecessor companies since the late 2000s. In his biography for ARSA’s 2006 Annual Repair Symposium, during which he provided human factors training, notes his hobbies including “tilting at windmills and full-contact gardening.” His good humor – a necessary trait in a regulatory environment – and dedication to ARSA’s work have long been valued by the association’s team.

“It’s great to celebrate both Werner and Howard this week,” said ARSA Executive Director Sarah MacLeod. “Not only are they wonderful people – I mean, Howard somehow got his professional title to be ‘quality fellow,’ which is a good description – they also are steadfast advocates or reasonable regulatory interpretation and practical quality oversight. Giving them both the Weston Award means celebrating the good sense of two professionals while recognizing the international network that supports aviation safety worldwide.”

The Weston Award is celebrated regularly as part of ARSA’s Annual Conference. It was first bestowed on Leo Weston himself

Lufthansa Technik’s Michael Boegle speaks about the company’s own celebration of Werner Luehmann’s career during ARSA’s 2019 Member Meeting.

and honors individuals who embody his commitment to the business of aviation safety. As an FAA official, Weston was influential in the association’s founding by advocating for the creation of an organization to represent the interests of maintenance providers. He remained an inspiration to the association and its members across his long career dedicated to the public good.

Luehmann and Whyte are the 12^th and 13^th professionals recognized by ARSA as part of Weston’s legacy.

Check in on what happened during the four days of the 2019 Annual Conference by visiting arsa.org/conference.

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