[1] The awards, presented annually since 1962, recognize individual general aviation professionals on the local, and national levels for their contributions to aviation, education, and flight safety.

[2] The General Aviation Awards Program is administered by volunteer members of General Aviation Awards, Inc., a nonprofit organization.

Awards are presented to professionals in the following fields: Candidates are selected based on long-term performance, specific accomplishments and contributions in their specific fields.

[3] District award winners are chosen by industry peers at the more than 100 FAA Flight Standards District Offices (FSDOs) located throughout the United States.

[4] In July of each year, the three national award recipients are honored in a ceremony at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin;[5][6] traditionally, the awards are presented by the FAA Administrator.