MIDDLEBURY — Alan J. Murray, a 1971 Middlebury Union High School graduate, was presented the prestigious Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Wright Brothers Master Pilot award on Dec. 20, 2020, in recognition of 50 years of safe flying.
Murray completed his first solo flight in a Cessna 150 on Aug. 6, 1970, in East Middlebury. He was commissioned a USAF 2nd Lieutenant through the AFROTC program at St. Michael’s College in 1975 and graduated from USAF pilot training at Columbus, Miss., in 1977, after which he flew for both the Vermont Air and Army National Guard in Burlington.
Murray completed UH-60 Blackhawk qualification at Ft. Rucker, AL in 1994 and commanded the New York Army National Guard’s 3-142 Aviation Battalion from 1996 until 1998. He was awarded the Army Master Aviator badge in 1996 and retired from ARNG active duty in 2000. Murray joined FlightSafety International in Atlanta, Ga., in 2000 and served as a ground/simulator instructor and Training Center Evaluator. Other positions he held include Program Manager, Director of Training, Director of Standards, and Assistant Center Manager.
Murray has logged 4,600 hours of flight time during his 50 years of flying. He is a current member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Order of Daedalians lifetime member. Murray makes his home in Norcross, Ga., an Atlanta suburb.