Embry-Riddle Alumnus Greg Feith Named Living Legend of Aviation
Mary van Buren
Mary van Buren
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Mary van Buren
Jan 27, 2016, 12:00 PM
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alumnus Greg Feith (’96, Daytona Beach) was inducted as a member of the Living Legends of Aviation at the awards gala held Jan. 22 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Actor, pilot, and “Official Ambassador of Aviation” John Travolta hosted the 13th annual event. Feith is a former National Transportation Safety Board air safety expert who investigated more than 2,500 aviation accidents worldwide during his 36-year career.
Notably, in 1985 he was the team leader of American investigators who climbed Mt. Illimani in Bolivia to an elevation of 21,223 feet to conduct an on-scene wreckage examination of an airliner – the highest accident site in commercial aviation history. Feith was subsequently a senior air safety investigator in charge of the NTSB “go-team” from 1993 to 2001. Currently he is a national Emmy Award winning aviation safety commentator for NBC News and other television networks.
A resident of Golden, Colo., Feith earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies from Embry-Riddle, received the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 and frequently visits Embry-Riddle as a guest instructor.
Another Embry-Riddle alumnus, Barry Schiff (’89, Honorary Doctorate; ’94, B.S. in Professional Aeronautics, Worldwide Campus), was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2012 to honor his accomplishments as a pilot and an author.
Living Legends of Aviation inductees include entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts, pilots who have become celebrities, and celebrities who have become pilots. The Legends meet annually to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation.
The Living Legends of Aviation awards are produced by Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sparking children’s interest in aviation while teaching them the importance of academic excellence. In 2013, Embry-Riddle and Kiddie Hawk announced an exclusive partnership to establish educational and STEM programs for the next generation of aviators.