Here's your November NAA Record Newsletter

NAA Record November 2009

Change of Date, Time & Location
NAA Annual Membership

Date: Friday, December 11, 2009 (was Dec. 8)
Times: 9:30 am, Membership Meeting
    10:00am, Board Meeting
Location: Hogan & Hartson Offices
    Columbia Square, 555 Thirteenth Street, NW
    Washington, DC.
Click here for directions

NAA Presents World Record Certificates
At NBAA Annual Convention
NAA presented seven different flight record certificates at the National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, Florida in late October. NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney presented the following:

The Hawker 4000 (world record flight between Farmingdale, New York and Shannon, Ireland) piloted by Hawker Beechcraft Vice President of Flight Operations Bob Blouin and Captain Mark Danin. The photo here shows (left to right) Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture, Executive Vice President Shawn Vick, Danin, Blouin, and NAA President Jonathan Gaffney.
Beechcraft Premier 1A (world record flight between Chester, U.K. and Geneva, Switzerland) piloted by Robert "Hoot" Gibson, Robert Kay, and Aaron Comber.
The Embraer Phenom 100 (three world record flights) piloted
by James Frost and Elizabeth Frost. The photo here shows (left to right) Executive Jets Executive Vice President Luis Carlos Alfonso, Embraer Executive Aircraft President and CEO Frederico Fleury Curado, NAA President Jonathan Gaffney, and Pilots Betsy and Jim Frost..
Gulfstream 450 (world record flight between Oranjestad, Aruba to Barcelona, Spain) piloted by Jaime Bahamon and Ross Oetjen.
The Cessna Citation CJ2 (record around-the-world flight, eastbound) piloted by Jared Isaacman and Douglas Demko. The photo here shows (left to right) NAA President Jonathan Gaffney, Pilot Doug Demko, and Cessna Vice President for Communications Bob Stangarone.

"Certifying aviation and aerospace records is one of the most important responsibilities of NAA," said Jonathan Gaffney, "and being able to present them to these exceptional crews and companies at NBAA is one the best ways to highlight their accomplishments."

Chairman's Message

NAA Continues Steady Forward Movement Boyne

   In 2009 the National Aeronautic Association continued its steady forward movement, thanks to the hard work of its loyal staff and to the increasing awareness of its importance to the aerospace industry. This advance has been highlighted by a growth in membership and by the very enthusiastic responses to NAA's award programs.
    It is particularly significant that this heightened perception of NAA's contribution to the industry comes during the current economic slowdown, when a decline in interest might have been expected. The opposite was true, thanks to the sensitive and insightful presentations by NAA. Aerospace firms always dispense their support with care, especially in difficult times. That they have chosen to increase their support of the National Aeronautic Association clearly means that we are on the right path.
    NAA is positioned to continue this progress in 2010 and we look forward to working closely with all our partners - from corporations and air sport organizations to record setters and award nominees.

Walter Boyne
Chairman, NAA

NAA Fall Awards Banquet

Recognizes Many Accomplishments

Many outstanding aeronautic accomplishments and records were recognized at the NAA 2009 Fall Awards Banquet held in early November in the Washington, DC area. Click here to view photos from the event. Award winners included:

The Clarence Mackay Trophy was presented to the Crew of BONE 2 3, a U.S. Air Force squadron that made a heroic attack on Taliban forces in Afghanistan that were threatening to overrun a patrol base. In presenting the trophy, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Carrol "Howie" Chandler said, "These airmen performed magnificently." Squadron leader Major Norman Shelton thanked "everyone on the mission who are risking their lives every day." First Lieutenant Boyd Smith, Captain Kaylene Giri, and Captain Louis Heidema were the other members of the Crew. Three of the four members of the squadron are pictured here accepting the award; Captain Heidema was on deployment. Gen. Chandler is shown second from the left and NAA Chairman Walter Boyne is shown on the right in the photo.
The Frank G. Brewer Trophy went to the University Aviation Association for its timeless record of promoting and supporting collegiate aviation programs.
Carl J. Nurmi, Tyler S. Kim, William S. Laggner, and Roy J. Sciortino were honored for setting a record in Class E-1.c, Group I (Piston helicopters weighing 2,205 < 3,858 lbs) for Speed Over a Recognized
Course, Round Trip from San Diego, CA to Savannah, GA (and return): 69.47 mph in a Robinson R44 Raven II. After learning that the crew flew in a four-seat helicopter for 2.5 days straight, NAA Director of Contest and Records Art Greenfield quipped, "I am sure I am not alone in saying, 'Better them than me.'"
David P. Tokoph and Brad D. Donner were recognized for a record in Class C-1.k, Group III (Jet airplanes weighing 55,116 < 77,162 lbs) for Speed Over a Recognized Course from Anadyr, Russia to El Paso, TX: 473.98 mph in a Gulfstream G1159B. It was the first nonstop flight from Russia to land in El Paso, where the pilot toasted his well-wishers with vodka brought from Russia that was properly declared to U.S. Customs officers.
Richard A. MacIsaac was recognized for a record in a Special Category for Fastest Time to Visit All the Hard Surface Public Use Airports in Massachusetts:10 hrs, 10 min, 50 sec. in a Flight Design CTSW. MacIsaac, who works in the airports industry in Massachusetts, undertook the mission because he wanted to bring recognition to the industry, raise money for charity, and because he "loves to fly airplanes."
Cory F. Bulris, Scott A. Erickson, and their crew were honored in Class C-1.s, Group III (Jet airplanes weighing 551,155 < 661,386 lbs) for numerous climbing records at several altitudes carrying an 80,000 kg payload and rising to a peak altitude of 40,909 feet in a Lockheed Martin C-5M, flying out of Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Roger A. Rose and Wilson A. Miles were recognized in Class C-1.l, Group III (Jet airplanes weighing 77,162 < 99,208 lbs) for Speed Over a Recognized Course from Savannah, GA to Sal, Cape Verde: 568.29 mph from Sal to Kampala, Uganda: 539.20 mph in a Gulfstream G550.
The Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award went to George Carneal of the law firm Hogan and Hartson for his 47 years of the service to the aviation industry (including 25 years at NAA) and to Tom Connolly of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for his 36 years of service dedicated to the education, training, and advancement of tens of thousands of aviation professionals.
The FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma went to Patrick Moorehead, a longtime parachutist who has managed the Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) organization since 1993. SOS has grown to more than 1,000 members from 23 countries.

EADS Chairman & CEO Ralph Crosby
Kicks Off NAA Luncheon Serie Crosby

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   Ralph Crosby, Chairman & CEO of EADS North America, kicked off the NAA 2009-2010 Luncheon Series with an insightful discussion of the aerospace industrial base. EADS is the largest aerospace company in the world, which includes major divisions such as Airbus, Eurocopter, and Airstream. It purchased $11 billion in aerospace products from the United States last year, supporting 200,000 jobs.
   Crosby emphasized that "robust competition is important to us and our customers" because it gives companies incentive to produce the very best products - an important consideration made even more critical when lives are at stake in combat.
   He also described the global nature of the industry, saying, "In times of economic crisis there is the appeal of protectionism, but self-sufficiency just doesn't work. We must maintain the industrial base and can't think of it in the way we traditionally have." He noted that aerospace exports generated a $55 billion trade surplus for the United States this past year, demonstrating that the United States remains the dominant nation in developing aerospace technology.

Engineer Richard Whitcomb Dies at 88
   Richard Whitcomb, a mechanical engineer whose three design innovations made airplanes fly farther and faster using less fuel, died at age 88.
   His most famous innovation was developing the concept of reshaping wings and narrowing the fuselage of an airplane at the section where the wings connected to eliminate drag that caused problems as planes approached the speed of sound. His innovation became known as the area rule, and, at age 34, Whitcomb was awarded the 1954 NAA Collier Trophy for "contributions to base knowledge yielding significantly higher airplane speed and greater range with the same power."
   Whitcomb also received the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for science and engineering, in 1973. He also was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and National Academy of Engineering.
   Whitcomb is pictured here in 1970 as he looked over a model that incorporated his "supercritical wing" design, which is used in almost all of today's commercial jets. (Photo courtesy of NASA Langley Research Center)

Air Sport Organization News

SAA Creates New Soaring Safety Tool
Always on the forefront of supporting soaring safety, the Soaring Society of America (SSA) has created the Sailplane Tracker List to enable quick access to the latest tracking information on a missing or delayed sailplane pilot. The list is a repository of internet links to satellite tracker data or other web-based tracking devices. By clicking on the "Locator URL' link for a listed member, the most recent tracking data appears superimposed on a map, provided the pilot is equipped with a satellite tracking device or other personal locator beacon, and has updated his or her SSA profile.

Nothing Like a Good Dogfight
The Academy of Model Aeronautics Nationals attracts modelers from across the nation as well as international competitors. RC Combat is a particular crowd pleaser at the Nationals. It features aerial dogfighting, re-created with the help of streamers that each model carries. A good combat pilot not only ends a match with his or her model's streamers attached, but also carries competitors' streamers, similar to the "kill" markings that full-scale combat pilots display on the side of their aircraft. In the photo, a smiling 12-year-old Eric Gilkey shows off his streamer collection after a round of 2548 (WW II Scale Fighter) Combat. He went on to beat his older brother, Brian, thereby ending Brian's chances of sweeping the Combat Nationals for a third year in a row. (Photo by Jay Smith)

Swayze Blue Skies, Patrick Swayze
   United States Parachute Association (USPA) Executive Director Ed Scott wrote recently on his blog that the late Patrick Swayze might best be remembered by the general public for films like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, but to skydivers of the day, he'll be remembered for Point Break. Scott recalls that Swayze took up skydiving at Perris Valley so that he could film many of the skydiving scenes himself. According to co-star Keanu Reeves, the production company issued Swayze a cease-and-desist order to stop skydiving, but he kept jumping anyway. (The photo here shows Reeves on the left and Swayze on the right during a skydive in the movie.) Along the way he joined USPA and earned his A license. In addition, Scott points out, the movie's release in 1991 brought a flood of first-jump customers out to drop zones nationwide. Those customers didn't find skydivers bantering in five-minute freefalls (as they did in Point Break), but many did find a sport of their own as shown by USPA's membership totals. Membership rose from 20,000 at the end of 1990 to 26,150 in 1992, and has steadily increased in subsequent years.

Nationals Featured on Good Morning America
   ABC featured a video and news story on the second half of the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association Big Spring U.S. Nationals, referring to the event as among the most prominent hang gliding competitions in North America and one of the more eclectic events in aviation. The segment noted that Big Spring, Texas, is missing one feature generally associated with hang gliding - mountains - and describes how flying 80-pound hang gliders in the flatlands is possible thanks to a new generation of lightweight airplanes that can tug hang gliders aloft with a rope and then release them a few thousand feet above the ground.
   The piece also included some beautiful imagery by way of quotes from several of the competitors. "The most amazing dreams we have are when we are just floating above the landscape totally unencumbered with nothing around us," said Jeff O'Brien, a competitor and test pilot. "Hang gliding is truly the flying we do in our dreams."