FAA bestows prestigious award on Gilford's William Moran, Jr.

GILFORD — The Federal Aviation Administration will soon give its most prestigious award to pilots — the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award — to long-time Granite State Flight #53 member Colonel William J. Moran, Jr., USAF (Ret) of Gilford.

According to the FAA, the award recognizes “individuals who have exhibited exemplary aviation expertise, distinguished professionalism and steadfast commitment for at least 50 years of piloting experience and aircraft operations.” The award also is synonymous with maintaining an exemplary flying safety record during those 50 years.

Moran, a former B-1 Lancer and B-52G Stratofortress bomber pilot and a FB-111 Aardvark fighter-bomber pilot, served in the Air Force for 26 years and then served another 24 years in the Civil Air Patrol as a flight instructor, cadet mentor, a four-time squadron commander and the New Hampshire Wing Commander and Vice Wing Commander.

He accumulated 7,100 flying hours, split about evenly between Air Force and civilian flying.

Moran said he always tried to base his leadership on respect, integrity and trust, to tackle the most difficult issues and to apply fairness in all his decision-making.

Highlights his Air Force career include three years as the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber Weapon System Acquisition Manager at Headquarters Strategic Air Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and four years as the Chief, Initial Operations Test and Evaluation Branch for the B-1B Lancer bomber at Edwards AFB, California.

As the 46th Bomb Squadron Commander at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, he flew the first three “Time to Climb” B-1B aviation world records and led the unit to a total of 12 “Time to Climb” world records.

In the CAP, Moran has flown 2,200 sorties, including search and rescue and forest fire reconnaissance flights in the White Mountains and White Mountain National Forest. One sortie was buffeted by winds exceeding 100 knots near the Mount Washington Observatory, the location of some of the worst weather in the world.

Granite State Flight #53 consists of about 70 former military aviators from all the armed services who live in both New Hampshire and Maine and have flown or served aboard almost every type of American military aircraft.