Here's your December NAA Record Newsletter

NAA Record December 2009

2009 Collier Trophy Nominations Open

The 2009 winner of the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy will be announced at the upcoming NAA Spring Awards Ceremony and Luncheon, to be held March 3, 2010. The winner will be selected the previous day by the 2010 Collier Selection Committee comprised of a national group of stalwarts of the aerospace industry.
Robert J. Collier, the only son of Collier's Weekly publisher P.F. Collier, was an aviator, humanitarian, and sportsman. He recognized the worth and future of aviation and proclaimed the ideal that, "the Collier December

flying machine should be unselfishly and rapidly developed to its ultimate potential for economic advancement in America." In support of his statement, Collier was the first person to purchase an airplane from the Wright brothers for personal use. Shortly thereafter, he loaned his aircraft to the U.S. Army for flight evaluations at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, which led to the first military orders for a flying machine.
   Elected President of the Aero Club of America (now NAA) in late 1911, Robert Collier felt an obligation to promote those aspects of aviation that would demonstrate to the public that the airplane was inherently safe and not particularly difficult to operate. To do so, he proposed to sponsor a trophy that ultimately became the Robert J. Collier Trophy. The original sculpture for the trophy was commissioned in 1910 with the intent to encourage the American aviation community to strive for excellence and achievement in aeronautic development.
   The list of previous Collier winners represents a timeline of aviation, as many of the awardees mark major events in the history of flight. The first was awarded in 1911 to Glenn Curtiss for developing the hydro-aeroplane and building a practical flying boat. In the decades that followed the award has come to represent the height of aeronautic achievement.
   Nominations for the 2009 Collier Trophy are now open. Nominations m Henderson

ust be sent electronically and received at NAA by January 31, 2010. Click here for complete nomination guidelines and information.
The Spring Awards event will also recognize the Most Memorable United States and World Aviation and Space Records of 2009 and will include the presentation of the Cliff Henderson Award for Achievement for significant and lasting contributions to the promotion and advancement of aviation or space activity. The Henderson Trophy, shown here, is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum

NAA Luncheon Series Continues in 2010
The popular NAA Luncheon Series continues in January and February 2010 with two compelling speakers with imp Mullenburg

ortant views and perspectives on the aviation industry.
On Monday, January 11, 2010, Dennis Muilenburg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Defense Systems, The Boeing Company will speak. This $32 billion, 70,000-person business unit is a provider of integrated solutions to meet the enduring needs of defense, government, space and intelligence customers in the United States and around the world. Prior to his current position, Muilenburg, 45, was President of Global Services & Support, an $8 billion business providing global after-delivery support for military platforms and systems, and a broad array of defense and government services. (NOTE: This luncheon will be held at the Hyatt Arlington, an alternate location from the usual luncheon venue.)
On Thursday, February 11, 2010, Dr. Ashton Carter, Under Secretary of Def Carter

ense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics will speak. Carter has served in his position since April 2009, and he was previously chair of the International and Global Affairs faculty at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Co-Director (with former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry) of the Preventive Defense Project, a research collaboration of Harvard and Stanford Universities. (This luncheon will be at the usual location - Crystal Gateway Marriott at 15th and Eads Streets, Arlington, VA.)

Each luncheon begins with a reception at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch at Noon, and will adjourn by 1:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per seat or $420 for a table of eight. Registrations are due by the 5th of the month when the luncheon will be held. Click here to register online. Questions? Contact [email protected]
Season Table Sponsors for the NAA Luncheon Series include Aurora Flight Sciences, The Boeing Company, Cobham, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, DRS Technologies, GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation and UTC/Pratt & Whitney.

President's Message

Choosing a Collier Winner

   At the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) we are humbled by our responsibility each year to pick a winner of the Robert J. Collier Trophy.
   This historic trophy - which is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington,
DC - is awarded annually "...for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, or safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated Small Jonathan

by actual use during the preceding year."
   Collier Nominations are being accepted now through January 31, 2010. On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, a distinguished selection committee made up of NAA members, aviation historians, and experts will convene in Arlington, Virginia to select the recipient. The announcement of the winner will take place the following day, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at the NAA Spring Awards Luncheon. The Annual Collier Dinner, where the trophy is awarded, will be held on Thursday, May 13, 2010.
   Walter Boyne, Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association, will Chair the Selection Committee. He explains that "because the Collier Trophy constitutes a veritable timeline of aviation accomplishment and history in the United States, it one of the most important and timeless responsibilities of NAA. We look forward to the commencement of this process and the selection of a very deserving winner."
   I call the Collier Trophy "the greatest award in aviation," and this is certainly reflected in the long list of people, equipment, and accomplishments which have won it. We strongly encourage individuals and groups to understand the trophy's history, review the nominations process, and participate in the program. Please visit www.naa.aero (click on awards, Collier Trophy) for a full listing of the past recipients that have been selected since 1911 and how to submit a nomination.

Jonathan Gaffney
NAA President

Air Sport Organization News

USHPA Launches New Website
   The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) launched USHPA.org at its fall board of directors meeting. The new site provides externally focused outreach and works as a partner to USHPA.aero. Visitors can browse feature articles about the sports, read testimonials from new pilots, and browse the event calendar.

USPA Seeks Competitors for
Dubai Parachuting Championships
   Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is hosting the Dubai Parachuting Championships and Gulf Cup 2010 on January 6-11, 2010. The event's organizers claim the priz Dubai e money of $230,000 is the largest amount ever presented in a skydiving competition. Competitors will use the famous Dubai Palm Island, shown here, as a landing site.
   The United States Parachute Association (USPA) is seeking competitors interesting in participating as part of a special U.S. Team. The event will include men's and women's 4-way formation skydiving, men's and women's accuracy landing, and canopy piloting. Only those who competed at the 2009 USPA National Skydiving Championships at Skydive Spaceland earlier this year are eligible.
   In addition, USPA can name a head of delegation, team manager and team coach, although it is not necessary to fill these positions in order to compete. Competitors may participate as a competitor as well as serve in one of the leadership positions. Those who are interested in participating or filling a leadership position may contact [email protected] with any questions.

EAA Member Builds and Flies
Replica of Lockheed P-38 Lightning
   When a new homebuilt appears on the scene, it usually creates a buzz in the aviation community.  Instead, Jim O'Hara of San Angelo, Texas, is causing a sensation with his recently built airplane. Over the past 15 years, O'Hara (81), who was a professor in aeronautical engineering at Tulane University, has been hard at work designing, building, and now flying a two-thirds-scale replica of one of history's most popular airplanes, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. O'Hara, who learned to fly at age 62, completed his first cross-country flight from San Angelo to an EAA event in Fredericksburg, TX.
   After retiring from Tulane in 1994, O'Hara gathered all the information about the P-38 and set about building a scaled-down replica. He created his own blueprints with a computer-aided design (CAD) program. He fashioned all the parts of the airframe and, since the original P-38 only had one seat, O'Hara designed a small jump seat behind the pilot's seat so his wife, Mitzi, could ride along.