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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Sponsor

Honored by:
Cheryl Collins

Matthew George Janson's interest in aviation began in the early 1960s and grew to become a career and passion. He has logged more than 17,500 hours of flight time ?€“ from fire spotting in Montana, to instructing students in Michigan, to safely transporting executives around the globe ?€“ on 78 different types of aircraft. He holds an airline transport pilots license for multi engine aircraft and single engine aircraft, ground instructor license, flight instructor license, as well as an airplane land and sea license. As a flight instructor, Matt (also known fondly as George) has helped more than 75 people learn to fly. He has been an active member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for more than 42 years. His 30-year career as pilot for a Fortune 500 company was a job that never felt like work. His passion for aviation extends into his community where he has twice served on the City of Midland, Michigan's Aviation Advisory Commission; first in the 1980s-1990s and again from 2005 to present. In 2016, he helped launch the Midland Community Aviation Discovery Area, a public space that encourages learning and interest in aviation through a series of educational boards and a covered picnic area where people of all ages can also watch planes take off and land. The landing strip he built on his 120-acre property is a welcoming beacon for countless pilots who share in his love of aviation.