From first flights to future pilots: Gayle Gorman Green earns 2026 Eagle Award

MANSFIELD — An 8-year-old Mansfield boy went from gripping Gayle Gorman Green’s hand in fear to declaring he wanted to become a pilot himself.

For Green, who recently received the Beechcraft Heritage Museum’s 2026 Eagle Award, the memory illustrates why she introduces young people to flying.

“He appeared to be extremely nervous, so I spent extra time with him and put him in the co-pilot’s seat next to me,” she said.

As the plane lifted off, the boy grabbed her right hand tightly and admitted he felt scared and couldn’t look out the window. Green said she tried to distract him by asking about school and his family, then suggested they fly near his school.

I wish my younger self could visualize the positive impact some of my flying has had on young aviators.

Gayle gorman green

“He then let go of my hand and looked out the window at his school from 1,500 feet above and was animated about everything he saw,” she said. “He looked at me, smiled and said, ‘this is so cool, I want to be a pilot.’”

Green has given more than 500 young people their first airplane rides through the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program. Several have gone on to become commercial pilots, turning their first taste of flight into a career.

A lifetime of flight earns national recognition

The museum recognized Green’s lifelong dedication to aviation, leadership and community service during its annual awards banquet on Oct. 11 in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The ceremony coincided with the museum’s 53rd national fly-in, known as Beech Party, drawing more than 160 aircraft and 1,000 guests from Oct. 11 to 13.

The Eagle Award is among the museum’s highest honors, recognizing a deserving member whose time, talents, commitment, leadership and service advance the museum’s mission.

Green received the award from Les Marsh, the museum’s director of restorations and preservation and the 2025 Eagle Award recipient. Previous Eagle Award honorees select each year’s recipient, making the recognition a tribute from fellow members of the Beechcraft community.

“My reaction was one of complete surprise,” Green said. “Even as they are announcing the accomplishments of the recipient, it did not register until the last minute.”

Her family helped make the occasion even more memorable, she said. Her husband, Brig. Gen. Rich Green; her brother, Jeff Gorman; her son and daughter-in-law, Curtis and Elizabeth Freeman; and her 6-month-old granddaughter, Ruth Gorman, joined her for the celebration.

From nervous passenger to lifelong aviator

Aviation runs in Green’s family, but she didn’t always share their enthusiasm for flying. She said both parents flew, yet hot days in small aircraft often left her airsick. Meanwhile, her brother, Jeff, loved every minute.

“I didn’t engage in aviation until my late teens,” Green said.

Her interest in aviation grew through her career in the airfield lighting industry, which allowed her to fly directly to customers’ airports.

Green’s husband, a retired brigadier general, introduced her to another dimension of aviation through military flying.

He commanded Mansfield’s 179th Airlift Wing and the Ohio Air Guard, continuing a family connection to military aviation stretching back to Green’s father, Jim Gorman. Rich and Gorman served in the Ohio Air Guard’s 164th Squadron, though in different eras.

Green’s connection to aviation also runs through her father’s 1946 Beechcraft Staggerwing. After flying one near the end of World War II, she said he fell in love with the aircraft and later bought one he found in California.

For more than 50 years, he exhibited the aircraft at the annual AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As he approached his mid-90s and neared the end of his flying career, he considered donating the plane to a museum before deciding to keep it in the family.

“He hand-selected a pilot to teach me the dynamics of this aircraft,” she said.

Today, Green flies a 7GCBC Citabria and an A36 Bonanza, and continues to fly the Staggerwing. She has a commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft, instrument, glider and seaplane ratings and has logged more than 3,800 flight hours.

Opening doors for the next generation

Beyond her work with the Young Eagles program, Green welcomes opportunities to mentor aspiring pilots.

For young people who dream of flying but don’t know where to start, Green offers guidance about the many paths into aviation. She also developed an 11-step program to help others overcome their fear of flying. Through this program, she learned participants need to feel in control of each step.

Green has seen several young people she mentored pursue careers as pilots, including two men from Loudonville and Wooster.

“I wish my younger self could visualize the positive impact some of my flying has had on young aviators,” she said. “It has meant a great deal to me knowing that just by sharing a love of aviation, it has generated a career for them.”

Green said she also has seen greater acceptance of women in aviation and business throughout her career, creating more opportunities for women to excel.

A commitment to community and aviation history

Her connection to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum began with her father. She visited the museum with him before later joining its Board of Directors after his death.

Today, Green also chairs the museum’s Wings for the Future program, which supports aviation education and encourages the next generation of aviation enthusiasts.

“The people associated with the museum are very dedicated and have turned a grass-roots facility into a first-class museum,” she said. “It has been recognized as one of the top destinations to visit in Tennessee.”

Her leadership extends beyond the cockpit. Green became the first woman to chair the Mansfield Richland Area Chamber of Commerce and has held leadership positions with the North Central State College Foundation, Altrusa Club of Mansfield, Mansfield Aviation Club, New Beginnings Board and Richland County Foundation Board.

She also chaired the Aviation Committee of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

For now, Green said she plan to continue challenging herself to remain a competent pilot.

Two of her children have expressed interest in learning to fly. Green said she hopes they, along with her granddaughter, Ruth, discover the same enjoyment and passion for aviation that have shaped her life.