VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – (April 9, 2024) Gerald “Jerry” Yagen, founder and first president of the 15 Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) campuses nationwide, has been selected as the winner of the annual Airlines for America Engineering, Maintenance and Materiel Council (EMMC) Nuts and Bolts Award for 2024.
The Nuts and Bolts Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding service and achievements in the engineering or maintenance fields within the commercial aviation industry. The awards were presented during Aviation Week’s MRO Americas trade show in Chicago this morning. Jerry Yagen’s outstanding contributions to the aviation sector were acknowledged, marking a milestone in his celebrated career.
Yagen has built an impressive career in aviation workforce development, historic aircraft restoration, aviation museum curation, and philanthropy. Following his passion for aviation, developed while an engineering student at Virginia Tech, Yagen opened a training center in the 1970s that has blossomed into the nation’s largest FAA-certified aviation maintenance school system.
Yagen’s commitment to the aerospace community goes beyond AIM. In 2006, he dedicated his career to the preservation of World War I and II aircraft by establishing the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach. Over the past two decades, he has been actively involved in the acquisition, restoration, and public display of vintage aircraft for the community to enjoy at the non-profit museum. The museum’s five aircraft hangars house the world’s largest collection of flying vintage aircraft from the two world wars, and Yagen has ensured its sustainability through a significant endowment.
“As a child, I was a collector of many things, but in aviation, I found true kinship. I am proud to accept this award as it has been my life’s work to build a network of schools devoted to workforce development and to share my collection of historic aircraft,” said Mr. Yagen.
Yagen’s dual impact on aviation workforce development and historic aircraft preservation displays his unwavering dedication to the industry. The Nuts and Bolts Award serves as a testament to his outstanding contributions, and the entire AIM community celebrates this well-deserved recognition.
