The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award celebrates pilots who’ve dedicated at least 50 years to aviation with unwavering professionalism, safety, and skill. It’s the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest honor for pilots, recognizing not just longevity, but a legacy of excellence and flying safety.
Among the select few to receive this distinction are two of our LifeLine Pilots volunteers. David Warner of Carbondale, Illinois, and Bayard (Bud) Walters of Nashville, Tennessee, have both recently been honored with the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for their exemplary aviation expertise, distinguished professionalism, and a career lifetime commitment to aviation safety.
Receiving this award publicly acknowledges David and Bud’s individual achievements, as well as the depth of experience they bring to the aviation community and their humanitarian work. David and Bud have each volunteered their time, skills, and resources to ensure that distance is never a barrier to medical care. Alongside hundreds of other LifeLine Pilots volunteers, they have helped provide free air transportation for thousands of passengers with medical needs far from home each year.
Meet the Honorees
David Warner became interested in aviation as a young child with an urge to “soar above the earth and experience seeing the world from that perspective.” After earning his pilot’s license during college while working summer jobs, David has now celebrated 50 years of flying, primarily in Cessna 172s. His path to LifeLine Pilots began when his wife Ann discovered a brochure at a fuel stop in Missouri. After he applied and submitted his credentials to LifeLine Pilots, David became a Command Pilot and found himself with “more requests to fly than I could keep up with.”
David received his Master Pilot award this past summer at a ceremony in his community, attended by dozens of friends and family. A representative from the FAA Flight Standards District Office presented the award while David’s cousin, Col. Robert McDaniel (ret.), presented his flying history. Despite his achievement, David remains humble: “It was a fun event. I am humbled to be considered a ‘master pilot’.”
Bud Walters’ aviation passion ignited in 1972 when he moved to rural Hancock County, Kentucky. Friends there introduced him to aviation, and later took him to the famous Oshkosh fly-in. “That got me,” Bud recalls. “I started lessons and was hooked.”
Bud received the prestigious Master Pilot award this past May. At age 84 and still IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) current, flying in/out of Nashville’s busy international airport, Bud made the difficult decision to “take my own keys away”. He recently sold his beloved Piper Warrior 161 that he bought new in 1978 and meticulously maintained for 47 years.
His connection to LifeLine Pilots began through his regular flights from Nashville to Cromwell Media’s sixradio stations in Peoria, also LifeLine Pilots headquarters. Thanks to that local connection, Bud became aware of the organization’s mission and became a Command Pilot, flying passengers to necessary medical care throughout the Midwest.
Committed to Service
Beyond their impressive flying careers, David and Bud speak passionately about their volunteer work with LifeLine Pilots.
David reflects on his missions with modesty: “I fly missions when I can, and I find them deeply rewarding.” His first mission was for a patient named Janice, whom he flew multiple times with her daughters. “She was a delightful person and loved to fly,” David remembers. Janice flew more than 100 flights to cancer treatments, giving her family two additional years with her thanks to David and so many other volunteer pilots.
Bud recalled a meaningful mission flying a passenger from eastern Kentucky to Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee for cancer treatment. Bud shared that after the flight, he drove this passenger and travel companion from the airport to their hotel to ensure they were safely situated.
When asked to sum up their flying journeys in one word, their responses capture the essence of their commitment: David chose “Joy!” while Bud shared “Privilege, really a tremendous privilege.”
Safety, Collaboration, and Compassion
David and Bud have reached an extraordinary milestone and achievement; it also reflects how they have supported the core of our humanitarian mission. We’re proud to call them LifeLine Pilots volunteers, as they exemplify the values that safely guide every flight. From the moment they accept a mission request to the safe and timely landing near a passenger’s medical destination, they serve as true stewards of care for those in need.
With an unwavering commitment to safety and excellence, apparent in every detail, David and Bud have always made LifeLine Pilots passengers feel respected and supported during some of life’s most vulnerable moments as patients far from home. We acknowledge their selfless service, generous use of time and aircraft, respect for those they fly, and the ability to seamlessly collaborate with our staff and passengers. It’s with this spirit that both David and Bud have each made flight with LifeLine Pilots a true lifeline.
If you or someone you know needs non-emergency medical travel 100 to 1,000 miles from home, contact LifeLine Pilots Mission Coordinators at 1-800-822-7972 or request a flight online.
Licensed pilots help make a life-changing difference for those in need of medical care far from home. Contact LifeLine Pilots at 1-800-822-7972 to learn more about becoming a volunteer pilot, or apply online.