Longtime VI Aviator Honored With Two Most Prestigious Awards in Aviation

After a distinguished career spanning over three decades, pilot Paul Vikander receives both the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award from the FAA

After over three decades flying the skies over the Virgin Islands and its Caribbean neighbors, pilot Paul Vikander has been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration for his skill and service within his chosen profession.

“I never expected it,” said Mr. Vikander, when speaking to Consortium journalists about being selected to receive the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. “I just felt really good.”

After getting his start in aviation by joining the Civil Air Patrol where he lived in Kansas, Mr. Vikander came to the Virgin Islands after meeting his St. Thomian wife-to-be Margaret in Puerto Rico, where he was stationed as a member of the United States Coast Guard. They were married in November 1961 and settled on St. Thomas. Earlier that year, Mr. Wikander had earned his Air Crewman Wings, which identified him as part of an elite cross-military community of highly trained specialists.