NBAA Congratulates Aerospace Icon Charlie Precourt, FSF Meritorious Service Award Recipient

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) congratulates four-time space shuttle astronaut, retired U.S. Air Force test pilot and steadfast industry safety champion Charlie Precourt on receiving the Flight Safety Foundation’s 2025 Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award today at the 70th Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) in Charlotte, NC.

Precourt, who also serves as an NBAA board member, was recognized for his work as chair of the Citation Jet Pilots (CJP) Safety Committee where he has led the development and implementation of multiple safety initiatives, including CJP’s “Safe to Land” program that emphasizes stabilized approaches to landing.

“Charlie has always been dedicated to advancing safety throughout all of aviation, and our industry has greatly benefited from his leadership, expertise and dedication to excellence,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are thrilled to see the Flight Safety Foundation recognize his contributions, and we warmly congratulate Charlie on this well-earned honor.”

Under Precourt’s leadership, the CJP Safety Committee shares its findings from “Safe to Land” with other owner/pilot associations to inform their respective efforts to combat runway excursions, a leading cause of business aircraft accidents, particularly within the owner-flown community.

He was also instrumental in the formation of CJP’s Safety and Education Foundation, which continues to develop additional safety resources for Citation pilots and other operators throughout the aviation community.

Additionally, Precourt frequently speaks with pilot groups and other industry organizations on the dangers of normalization of deviance and the risk of complacency, lessons taken from his time as chief astronaut at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and in the aftermath of the loss of the shuttle Columbia in February 2003.

Most recently, Precourt was a featured expert on a safety-focused NBAA News Hour webinar, offered in the wake of a series of recent aviation accidents. The online session, which provided key insights from Precourt and other authoritative sources about safety best practices in business aviation, was attended by hundreds of participants.

Precourt was an F-15 pilot, instructor and flight commander, and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. He has over 11,000 hours in over 90 different types of aircraft, and is type rated in several Citation aircraft models and exhibition warbird jet aircraft.

A veteran of four space flights, and member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame, Precourt held several management positions within NASA, including deputy program manager for the International Space Station, chief of the Astronaut Corps, and director of operations for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

Now retired as vice president and general manager of the Propulsion Systems business at Northrop Grumman, Precourt is vice chair of the board of directors for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He previously served as the vice president and general manager of the Propulsion Systems business at Northrop Grumman.

The Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award has been presented annually since 1975 to recognize outstanding service and contributions to business aviation safety. Precourt received the award on the opening day of BASS 2025 as part of the theme, “Bridging Divides: Elevating Safety Through Communication.”