At the same time, Sumwalt presented Hamilton with an NTSB coin.
Hamilton said he was honored to present Sumwalt the coin, which he described as a “challenge to you to continue doing the good things that you’ve been doing.”
The challenge coin is a coin or medallion typically given to military servicemembers that bears an organization’s emblem. The coin represents a challenge to the recipient to carry on the mission of their organization.
The current Richland County Airport Director Chris Eversmann designed the custom challenge coin for the Jim Hamilton-L.B. Owens Airport.
Sumwalt said the coin was not only a recognition of his work in aviation but also that it represented his friendship with Hamilton. It additionally hearkened to a unique custom in the aviation community.
“When somebody gives you one, next time you see them you want to challenge them and see if they have your coin,” Sumwalt said. “And if they don’t, supposedly the legend goes, that means the person who does not have the coin has to buy the drinks.”
Sumwalt has had a 40-plus year career in aviation. The Dreher High School graduate spent 32 years as a pilot, including 24 years as an airline pilot with Piedmont Airlines and US Airways.
He later joined SCANA energy company to manage their corporate aviation department. In 1991, Sumwalt conducted aviation safety research for NASA for nine year. Between 1997 and 2004, he developed several airline safety programs as part of a special assignment with US Airways flight safety department.
Sumwalt also served as an air safety representative for the Air Line Pilots Association for 17 years and he chaired ALPA’s Human Factors and Training Group. In addition to co-authoring a book on aircraft accidents, Sumwalt has published over 90 articles and papers.
The University of South Carolina graduate returned to his alma mater in 2003 to serve as the primary human factors instructor for the school’s Aviation Safety and Security Program.
In August 2006, then-President George W. Bush appointed Sumwalt as the the 37th Member of the National Transportation Safety Board and the first South Carolinian to do so. At the time, he was picked to serve as vice chairman of the Board for a two-year term. President Barack Obama extended that term for an additional five years in November 2011.
For his illustrious career, Sumwalt received the Flight Safety Foundation’s Laura Taber Barbour Award in 2003 and ALPA’s Air Safety Award in 2005.
“I’m humbled and I feel like Forrest Gump,” he said. “I’ve had some wonderful, wonderful opportunities, and I could not have done it without the support and encouragement of so many people. I stand on the shoulders of so many that have come before me and I appreciate all of the help that was given to me.”
