October 3, 2002 - Taipei, Taiwan
Schleede Receives Lederer Award

Ron Schleede, who spent 15 years directly involved in virtually every major airplane accident in the U.S. and overseas that involved U.S. interests, has received the 2002 Jerome F. Lederer Award for outstanding lifetime contributions in the field of airplane accident investigations and prevention. The award, given annually by the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), recognizes achievement of the society's objectives and technical excellence.

"For more than 35 years, Ron has used his energy, technical expertise, personal commitment and special brand of diplomacy to improve how the world investigates and prevents airplane accidents," said ISASI president Frank Del Gandio, presenting the award at the association's 2002 annual seminar in Taipei. "His contributions to aviation safety have been remarkable and are unmatched."

The only individual who has led major aviation investigation programs in two major countries, Schleede retired in 1999 from the US National Transportation Safety Board. Prior to his retirement, he directed air investigations at the Canadian Transportation Safety Board. As a young man, Schleede flew fighter jets for the military, beginning even then to promote improvements that are still evident on the U.S. Air Force's T-38 trainer aircraft. Years later he led the U.S. delegation at ICAO in the development of Annex 13 revisions, building a multi-national coalition of support by using sound logic and polite persuasiveness.

In retirement, Schleede continues to maintain a frenetic schedule as he flies the globe promoting, teaching, leading and managing in behalf of improvements in aviation safety. He joined Safety Services International (SSI) as an associate consultant in 2001. He and John Purvis, a cofounder of SSI and winner of the 2001 LedererAward, currently serve on the faculty of the Southern California Safety Institute, teaching investigation management courses to aviation professionals. Ron is also the newly-elected vice president of ISASI.

The Lederer award was created by ISASI to honor Jerry Lederer, a leader in the world of aviation safety since its infancy. A lifelong friend of Charles Lindbergh, Lederer was the first director of the Bureau of Air Safety in the Civil Aeronautics Board, established the Flight Safety Foundation and organized the first flight safety office for NASA.

In 1990, Schleede and Lederer received the Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin medal for expanding air safety cooperation. The two are the only individuals outside of the former Soviet Union to have received this significant medal.

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