In the state of Minnesota, there are currently 55 honorees of the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. The award is presented by the Federal Aviation Administration given to pilots who fly over 50 years being incident free. and on Saturday, Terry Stern of Staples was presented this award, making him the first from the Brainerd lakes area.

Coming up on the 52 anniversary of his first solo flight he took when he was 17 years old, Terry Sterns feels like he hasn’t been flying for that long.

But on Saturday after a typical weekly gathering with some of the locals at the wings cafe, something sterns does every Saturday, he was recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration for flying for over 50 years incident free.

And he’s continued to fly his whole life. The past 15 years he’s spent flying in the Commemorative Air Force, which has given him the chance to fly classic, military styles planes like the 1944 T-6 Texan.

That plane is used in many flyovers Stern does being a part of the T-6 Thunder North American flight team. But one of his favorite types is formation flying which he explains he does for numerous veterans.

And Stern says that it’s not so much the feeling of flying that has kept him going, but hearing from those around him who are grateful for his service.