Banyan Air Service honored its employees and celebrated its ninth annual Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT Day) on May 23, paying tribute to Charles Taylor, the first AMT. Taylor built Orville and Wilbur Wright’s engine.

Dave Valenta, Banyan’s director of maintenance, told AIN, “We open the event to our entire company and customers. We invite not only our technicians, but we also include the entire support team because it takes the entire team to make our operation successful. It is about honoring them for their dedication to aviation and safety.”

This year’s luncheon drew about 90 people. The event included an opening invocation followed by comments from Lou Homsher, chief inspector for turbine maintenance, who spoke about the many contributions of the Banyan technicians. Craig Huston, Banyan’s COO, told the gathering, “The work you do is important. The pilots, owners and passengers may not know the name of the technician working on their aircraft, but they are putting their lives in your hands. You play an important role in their safety, and their trust in Banyan is a direct result of their faith and trust in you.”