The Pilot of the Year Award is calculated by determining the average of a pilot’s legs flown, miles flown and Hobbs time. The 2023 Pilot of the Year is Brad Neihouser, who flew 23 flight legs, 102 hours, and 6,067 charitable miles!
Brad is an ardent supporter of public benefit flying. In addition to the shear number of flights, he is always a backup and takes flights that are out of his way and inconvenient. If there is a week without a flight bearing his name, his plane must be in annual.
A few months ago, Brad was in church when Jordan sent out an emergency text. A pilot was urgently needed to bring a mother and her daughter home, after their pilot had to make an emergency landing. Despite it being Father’s Day AND his wedding anniversary, Brad demonstrated his selflessness and helped this family make it home safely.
Brad has been flying since he was 18. He didn’t buy his first plane until he was 44. He told his wife he’d never need anything besides this Cherokee 180, and that was three planes ago. Brad has made many friends through the years of public benefit flying. He regrets the time that he did not accept a passenger’s offer of dinner. She died not long after and he regrets not spending that extra time with her.
Brad now flies a Beechcraft/58P and is based at LAF (Lafayette, IN).