Prolific Flyer – Chapter NG3 Member Bob Berlyn – Retires From the FAA
- Details
- Published: December 20, 2016
Bob Berlyn, Chapter NG3, joined the FAA, Boston Flight Standard District Office (FSDO) in 2008, as a general aviation safety inspector. About a year later, he was promoted to a principal operations inspector. He has served as a general aviation ops inspector at the Boston FSDO for his entire career with the FAA. During that time, he has been the FSDO’s go-to air show person, On-The-Job (OJT) instructor, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) point of contact (POC) and tail wheel expert.
When Berlyn joined PASS, he immediately became an ardent supporter working to improve all his brother and sister employees’ work life at the FAA as an alternate office rep and a member of the PASS National Legislative Committee. And yes, he even had a major role in the infamous FSDO refrigerator negotiations. After years of service to both the FAA and PASS, Berlyn is entering the next phase: retirement.
Berlyn first learned to fly at age 16 and now holds an Air Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, both single and multi-engine and several type ratings. After showing an interest in aviation at such an early age, Berlyn graduated from Thomas Edison State College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation technology, as well as from the Community College of Rhode Island with a degree in electronics technology. Now, with five decades of flying experience and four decades as a flight instructor, Berlyn has racked up over 14,000 hours of total flight time.
A flight instructor since 1976, Berlyn has always had deep roots in the General Aviation (GA) community. He was awarded the Outstanding Safety Counselor in 2004 and the Flight Instructor of the Year award in 2005 from the Boston FSDO. He also initially earned a Master Certified Flight Instructor (MCFI) designation in 2005 and again in 2007 from the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). Berlyn’s vast knowledge and experience gained over the years as a teacher of flight in conventional aircraft, technically advanced aircraft (TAA), and multi-engine aircraft, as well as his work as a Part-121 air carrier pilot, instructor, and check pilot and chief pilot, gives him the unique perspective that has served him so well through his aviation career.
In addition, Berlyn has served as an airline pilot, air carrier manager, union representative, safety representative and Master Executive Chairman for the pilots in service to Pan Am Express for the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA). In his spare time, he volunteers in his local community as a fire commissioner. He also has worked as a flight data specialist at Philadelphia Approach, a press photographer for the Associated Press in Philadelphia and an electronics engineering technician in southern New England. Most recently, he established the New England Aviation Education Foundation, a non-profit organization to reinforce the basics of flying.