Avionics News October 2016 - 73

So who was
every part of the trade. I know the
big schools won't like to hear that,
but in my experience, it's much
better to get involved and learn all
the parts of the avionics business
for yourself.
"Aviation school will give you a
good foundation, but it takes years
and you could be making a living
and learning during that time. You
can learn what you need to know
until you do it all the time. You
have to learn early that just because
you have two airplanes that are
alike, they are not the same."
One for the record books
When asked about receiving the
FAA's Charles E. Taylor Master
Mechanic Award, Farrar said he
was probably the most surprised
person.
"It's amazing," he said. "For
one thing, it's a mechanic's award
and not avionics. Since I'm not a
mechanic, I thought it was special
for them to give me the award.
Certainly, I never expected or
thought of receiving it."
In fact, after doing a quick and
unofficial search through a past
winners list, Farrar looks to be the
first full-time avionics technician to
win the prestigious award.
Farrar isn't putting any stock
in whether he's the first avionics
technician to receive the award.
He's just been doing what he
loves with no need for additional
recognition.
"When I do stop and think about
it, it's, 'Wow, how did all this happen
to me,'" Farrar said. "Of course, I'm
very honored, but truthfully, it was a
surprise to me." q

Charles E. Taylor?
Aside from having the FAA's award for the top aviation
mechanic named after him, few people truly know who Charles
E. Taylor was and the significant role he played in the Wright
brothers' successful flights.
According to, Charles E. Taylor: The
Man Aviation History Almost Forgot,
sometime in 1898, Taylor opened
a machine shop near the Wright's
bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. The
Wrights used to bring him special
jobs to machine parts for their bikes.
Eventually, the brothers offered
Taylor a job in their shop doing
routine repairs on bicycles. This gave
the brothers more time to work on
their glider experiments, many of
which took place at Kitty Hawk.
Taylor's involvement with the
Wright's aircraft project started when
he designed and built their first
powered wind tunnel. Soon after, he
started making parts for the Wright's
next glider, which first flew in 1902.
After those successful flights, the
Wrights made the decision to begin
work on their powered airplane. That
fateful decision led to Taylor building
the all-new, air-cooled, "aircraft"
engine for the original Wright Flyer.
Back in the early 1900s, you didn't just build an engine, you
crafted it. Working from rough sketches and crude specifications,
Taylor hand-made many of the critical components of the new
engine. That engine was finally completed in February 1903 and
developed a whopping 12-horsepower at full engine power - a full
4-horsepower more than the Wright's originally wanted.
Of course, during his career with the Wright brothers, Charles
Taylor did a lot more than build that now famous engine. Today,
he is credited for providing many contributions to the Wright's
aviation success over the years.
Taylor passed away in 1956 at the age of 88 and was laid to rest
in the Portal of Folded Wings Mausoleum dedicated to aviation
pioneers, located in Los Angeles, California.
Taylor was the last of the three men that shrunk the world
by building the first successful powered airplane. He was the
mechanic that made the flight possible. q

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