Nov 20, 2006 - Claremont, Calif. -

Instructor of Aeronautics Emerita Iris Cummings Critchell, who developed and directed the Harvey Mudd College Bates Aeronautics Program, was presented with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award at the 17th annual Aero Scholarship Award event in October held at HMC's aviation dining room.

Greg Felton '85/'86, a former student of Critchell's, nominated her for the award based on 50 years of dedicated service in aviation safety.

"Graduates of the Bates Program have tackled and accomplished many impressive feats...many of them attributing their necessary confidence, multitasking and issue management skills to lessons they've learned from Iris," wrote Felton in his nomination letter.

At Felton's invitation, Chief Aeronautical Inspector Roger Brownlow, of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in Riverside, Calif., attended the scholarship dinner to present Critchell with a certificate and plaque.

Critchell, who served as a designated pilot examiner for the FAA FSDO for more than 20 years, began flying in 1939 at Mines Field, now known as the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). From then on, her diverse flight experience helped define the role women were able to assume in the field of aeronautics.

"She is still instructing, conducting flight checks and making speeches about aviation at age 86," stated Barbara London, a friend of Critchell's who began her aviation career at the same time. "She's very modest and doesn't think she has done anything special. But she has done a tremendous amount for general aviation and women pilots in particular…. She has done a lot and she's done it well."

In 1941, Critchell's became the first woman to complete the Civil Pilot Training Program at the University of Southern California (USC), where she also earned a degree in physical sciences and mathematics.

As a member of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), Critchell went on to ferry military planes across the county during World War II for the U.S. Army.

Following the WASP disbandment, she continued her flight training and designed the curriculum for USC's aeronautical courses for veterans at its College of Aeronautics in Santa Maria in 1946. While there, Critchell served as chief ground instructor and chief instrument rating flight instructor for three years.

In 1962, she prepared the curriculum for the Bates Foundation for Aeronautical Education, which later became HMC's Bates Aeronautics Program and was run by Critchell and her husband, Howard, until 1990.

This two-year curriculum of classes and flight was designed specifically for the needs of the science and engineering students at HMC. Critchell, who was named the local FAA Instructor Pilot of the Year in the early 1970's, served as the chief flight instructor of the flight portion and on the faculty as Aeronautics Program Director.

Critchell is proud of the variety of endeavors Bates graduates have undertaken. The program has produced alumni who have, for instance, become astronauts, successful college and high school teachers, individuals dedicated to pure research in the sciences and medical fields, M.D.'s serving in the health fields and international figures making a difference in society.

Graduates of the Bates Program include George "Pinky" Nelson '72, who flew four space shuttle missions, and Stan Love '87, who was selected this year to be part of the crew for NASA's STS-122, due to launch at the end of 2007.

The success of Critchell's alumni and their appreciation of her reflect the quality of education and dedication she provided.

After retiring from HMC as instructor emerita of aeronautics in 1990—the year the college's Bates Program officially ended—Critchell continued to serve as a faculty advisor on numerous projects. Over the years, she also assisted the HMC Engineering Clinic's aeronautics projects and performed equipment flight tests.

Critchell's lifetime achievements also include swimming in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, winning the 1957 Powder Puff Derby (a transcontinental race performed by women pilots) and being inducted into the National Flight Instructors Hall of Fame in 2000. Today, she lectures and consults on various phases of aviation education and history.

Still an active pilot, Critchell is also curator of the Aeronautical Library Special Collections at HMC's Sprague Library and occasionally mentors high school students in aeronautical science programs.