Bizav Association Award Recognizes Former U.S. Senate Leader

Former U.S. Senate majority leader Bill Frist-a heart-transplant surgeon and medical researcher and also a pilot since age 16-is the recipient of the National Business Aviation Association's 2011 Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership. The award recognizes Frist's "life-saving efforts worldwide, and the importance of business aviation to those endeavors," according to a statement from the association.

Said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen: "Bill Frist has combined his skill as an aviator with his expertise in medicine to reach people in need of life-saving treatment at home and all over the world. From piloting his own aircraft throughout Sudan to give surgical care to using aviation to reach and treat victims days after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the senator and doctor truly 'walks the walk' in assisting those most in need of help. He exemplifies the humanitarian spirit that's always been a part of business aviation."