 NAA Record September 2010
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Katharine Wright Award to be Presented
To USAF Master Sergeant Kimberly Muhlecke
United States Air Force Master Sergeant Kimberly L. Muhlecke has been named the winner of the prestigious Katharine Wright Award by NAA and will receive the award at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet on Monday, November 8, 2010, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.
This award is presented annually to a woman who has contributed to the success of others or made a personal contribution to the advancement of the art, sport and science of aviation and space flight over an extended period of time. The award was named in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright's sister, Katharine, who was a crucial supporter of her brothers' timeless work in the development of the first airplane.
As an Air Force Aerospace Physiological Technician, Master Sergeant Muhlecke has become one of the leading experts in the fields of physiology training, human performance training, altitude chamber training, endurance management, and U-2 pressure suit operations. Her efforts to increase efficiency and readiness have saved the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Selection Committee was chaired by NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney and also included Wichita Aero Club President Dave Franson, NAA Board member Elizabeth Matarese, Airbus General Counsel Renee Martin-Nagle, 99s Past President Pat Prentiss, and NAA Contest and Records Board Member and Northwest Airlines Captain Sandy Anderson.
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NAA Board
Member Chris O'Callaghan
Dies in
Mid-Air Collision During Competition
Chris
O'Callaghan, a well-known and respected member of the aviation
community who served on the NAA Board of Directors, died last week during a
soaring competition.
"The
entire NAA Family is terribly saddened by the loss of Chris O'Callaghan,"
said Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of NAA. "He brought to our
Board the very important perspective of air sports and understood the
great importance air sports have to the overall mission of NAA. His
enthusiasm, professionalism, and energy will be missed by us
all."
For
more information, read the article on the Aircraft Owners
and Pilots Association website.
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Vice Admiral Bill Gortney | 2010 - 2011 NAA/NAC Luncheon Series Kicks Off September 28
This popular Luncheon Series kicks off September 28, 2010 with an appearance by Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, Director, Joint Staff, speaking on "A Recent View from the 5th Fleet."
Gortney was recently Commander of U.S. Naval Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet, which is responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and coast off East Africa as far south as Kenya.
The luncheon begins with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and lunch begins at Noon.
The luncheon series is strongly supported by several Luncheon Series Season Table Holders, including The Boeing Company, Cobham, DRS Technologies, EADS North America, GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rolls-Royce North America, UTC/Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, and Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
Season Table reservations can be secured by completing the Season Table Purchase Form or by e-mailing [email protected].
Individual tickets to luncheons can be purchased for $60.
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The crew of Pedro 16 will receive the McKay Trophy to honor their heroic rescue mission. | Major Award Winners to be Honored
November 8 at NAA Fall Awards Banquet
NAA will present several major awards and recognize recent aviation record setters at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet, to be held November 8, 2010 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner starts at 7:00 p.m.
The prestigious 2009 Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year will be presented to the members of the Crew of Pedro 16 - Captain Robert Rosebrough, First Lieutenant Luke Will, Master Sergeant Dustin Thomas, and Staff Sergeant Tim Philpott - from the 33rd Rescue Squadron, Pacific Air Forces, who performed a heroic rescue mission in Afghanistan.
The two top awards from the F�d�ration A�ronautique Internationale (FAI) will also be presented. FAI selected Barron Hilton as the recipient of the 2009 FAI Gold Air Medal for a lifetime of accomplishment and support of aviation and air sports. Elon Musk will be honored for his outstanding leadership and accomplishments with his company, SpaceX, with the 2009 FAI Gold Space Medal.
The FAI Gold Air Medal and the FAI Gold Space Medal are the most important and prestigious aviation awards in the world; this is only the second time in the past 30 years that Americans have been selected for these awards in the same year. Both Musk and Hilton were nominated by the National Aeronautic Association and will receive their awards at the Fall Awards Banquet.
United States Air Force Master Sergeant Kimberly L. Muhlecke will receive the prestigious Katharine Wright Award at the banquet.
Winners of the Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aerospace Education and the Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation for lifetime contributions to aviation will also receive their awards, as will the world and national aviation record setters. |
A Century of the Collier
Trophy
If
one takes the time to examine the winners of the Collier Trophy during its
illustrious 100 year history, it is quite obvious why it is considered the most
prestigious aviation trophy in the World. In the early days, there were seminal
leaders such as Glenn H. Curtiss, Orville Wright, and Elmer A. Sperry, whose
contributions were so immediate, so obvious, that their selection was a
foregone conclusion.
As
time passed and the industry became more complex, the competition for the
Collier became more intense and more diverse. While an individual was still
often selected for the honor, there were more occasions when corporations were
chosen for their contributions. In recent years, it has not been unusual to
have whole teams of companies and individuals nominated to win the honor.
We
are now in what many consider to be the most revolutionary in the history of
aeronautics. Environmental and budgetary requirements are as important as sheer
performance. Consequently there is a relentless demand for new concepts,
radical designs, advanced materials, and superior electronic devices.
As
a result, we find that the mantle of the Collier Trophy extends further than
ever before. For example, the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of
aircraft is a critical area, and as the industry as a whole continues to rely
on old standbys, original equipment is in more demand. So both MRO and OEM are now
perceived correctly as absolutely vital in every respect.
As
NAA begins to accept nominations for the 2010 Collier Trophy, I would like to
suggest that the leaders in these and similarly important fields are natural
candidates for consideration of the "Greatest Award in Aviation."
Walter Boyne
NAA Chairman
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Arnold Ebneter Flies 18 Hours to Break
24-Year-Old Distance Record for Small Planes
Arnold Ebneter was studying engineering at Texas A&M University during the 1950s when he read about a small plane that broke a distance record. He decided then that he wanted to set that record.
That dream came true this year as the 82-year-old Ebneter took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at 2:12 p.m. on July 25, 2010 and flew 2,327 miles nonstop for 18 hours, 25 minutes, landing in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 11:37 a.m. the following morning.
His flight set a distance record for airplanes weighing less than 500 kilograms, breaking the previous record of 2,213 miles set in 1984.
Arnold Ebneter with his E-1 airplane, which weighs about 580 pounds. (Photo by Michael O'Leary/Everett Daily Herald) | Ebneter flew in a small plane dubbed "E-1" that he built himself. Even though he began designing the airplane in the 1950s, it took years of working in his spare time to complete the design, collect the materials, and begin building the plane in 1995. The all-metal plane with a Jabiru 2200 engine was completed in 2005 and Ebneter has had his eye on the record for the last four years.
When it came time for the record attempt, Ebneter took off around 2 p.m. so he could arrive in Fredericksburg late the following morning, avoiding any potential early-morning fog or late-day thunderstorms.
"The choice of Fredericksburg as a destination came up a couple years ago because my daughter was assigned to the Pentagon and I could visit Washington, DC," he said.
Each of his four daughters and his wife (who passed away 10 years ago) helped him build the plane, and one of his daughters is now an acrobatic pilot who has even talked about wanting to build her own acrobatic airplane someday.
The plane design includes "wet wings" that are sealed so they can hold fuel, and Ebneter has plans to make some changes to the engine cooling system and look at a different fuel injection system for the engine to make it fly faster and farther. He averaged 127 miles per hour during his record-setting flight.
Ebneter began flying as a 15-year-old living on a farm under the flight path between Chicago and Minneapolis, where many airplanes flew low. After graduating from Texas A&M, he went on to earn a Masters in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He then designed and test-flew manned balloon systems for General Mills before spending 22 years in the Air Force, 15 as a fighter pilot, flying 325 missions in Vietnam and retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
"Every aeronautical engineer dreams of designing an airplane and having it fly," Ebneter says.
His advice for others who want to build their own airplanes? "Find a good design (your own or someone else's) that meets your needs or dreams, and go for it!," he advises.
Read more about Arnold Ebnetter in an article that appeared in his hometown newspaper, the Everett Daily Herald.
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Air Sport Organization News
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EAA
AirVenture Featured on CNN
No matter where you turn, there was a story to be told at AirVenture in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Thousands were chronicled during the 2010 event by many
media outlets - newspapers, TV, radio, blogs, podcasts, and others.
Among the notable mainstream media outlets at AirVenture 2010 was CNN.
Photojournalist Effie Nidam captured the spirit of Oshkosh through his lens and
filed several reports. Check out these video segments, currently available on
CNN.com:
Behind the scenes with Sean D. Tucker and Debby Rihn-Harvey
Private jets for small biz
Electric aircraft to rule the sky?
USHPA Hang
Gliding Championships
Covered in
Sports Illustrated
The U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) 2010 Hang
Gliding Championships were recently featured in Sports Illustrated.
USPA Nationals to Include
Canopy Formation Test Event
The
2010 U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) Nationals at Skydive Chicago, in Ottawa,
Illinois, will include a pro/am canopy formation two-way test event. The event
will take place following the regular canopy formation events scheduled for
September 18-23, 2010. Click here for the rules. The event will be
similar to the one conducted at last year's Nationals, and the results of the
test will be used by the Competition Committee to determine if it will become
an official event and included in the Skydiver's Competition Manual. For more
information contact [email protected].
Balloon
Federation of America
Offers 50th
Anniversary Coin
Throughout time, dating to as early as the Roman Empire,
commemorative coins have been used to celebrate landmark achievements and
events. For the first time, the Balloon Federation of America (BFA) has
authorized the minting of its own commemorative coin to mark the modern era of
ballooning and the BFA 50th anniversary in 2011. To order, call the
BFA office at 515-961-8809.
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FedEx Founder Fred Smith
To Be Honored By ACSC
Fred Smith, Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of FedEx, will receive the 2010 Howard Hughes Memorial Award from the Aero Club of Southern California at a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 1, 2011.
Club president Nissen Davis said the air cargo innovator and entrepreneur was selected by a committee of former recipients of the prestigious annual award. Previous honorees include Jack Northrop, Chuck Yeager, Kelly Johnson, Neil Armstrong, and more than 25 other leaders in aviation and aerospace.
ACONE Supports Martha's Vineyard
Museum with Historic Aircraft
Anne Lesnikowski, WWII WASP and recent honoree at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremonies honoring WASPs, standing by Reese Dill's T-6. |
The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) supported a special exhibit at Katama Airport sponsored by Martha's Vineyard Museum with vintage aircraft that included a C-45 (military Beech 18), T-6, Stearman, Waco, and a Cessna 195.
The exhibit was called "Those Who Serve: Martha's Vineyard & WWII" and focused on the experiences of Vineyard residents during the war years.
ACONE and the museum held a special get-together at the airport. Anne Lesnikowski, a World War II Women Air Force Service Pilot (WASP) and Martha's Vineyard resident, was there to celebrate and enjoy the memories.
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September
Luncheon
Tuesday,
September 28, 2010
Featuring
Vice Admiral
Bill Gortney, Director, Joint Staff
Click here to register.
NAA Fall Awards Banquet
Monday, November 8, 2010
Click here for details.
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Call for Nominations
Henderson Award
Nomination Deadline is November 30. This award is given to a living individual OR group whose vision, leadership, or skill, has made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation or space activity. Click here for details.
Stinson Award
Nomination Deadline is November 30. This award recognizes a living woman for an outstanding and enduring contribution, a meritorious flight, or a singular technical development in the field of aviation, aeronautics, space or related sciences. Click here for details.
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This month's featured member
organizations:
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Records Claimed
July 1 - July 31, 2010
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AEROPLANES
Fastest Time to Visit All 50 States and the District of Columbia: 135 hrs 17 min
Douglas R. Cairns
Class C-1, Special Category
Beechcraft Baron 58
2 Continental IO-520
07/17/10
Distance: 2,327.85 mi
Arnold E. Ebneter
Class C-1.a, Group I (Internal Combustion)
homebuilt E-1
1 Jabiru 2200
Everett, WA to Fredericksburg, VA
07/26/10
GLIDERS
Free Distance: 410 mi
James M. Payne
Class DU, Ultralight, General
Windward Performance SparrowHawk
Rosamond, CA to Battle Mountain, NV
07/09/10
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES
Altitude: 70,702 feet
Duration: 336 hrs 22 min
Chris Kelleher/Qinetiq HALE team
Class U1.c, Group II (Electric)
Qinetiq Zephyr 7
2 Qinetiq Z7
Yuma, AZ
07/23/10
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This Month's
Air Sport Link
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Apply now for an NAA Rewards Visa� Card. With every new account opened and every purchase made, a contribution will be made to NAA - at no additional cost to you! Support NAA and earn Rewards points towards cash back, air travel, merchandise, and more - all with no annual fee and a low annual percentage rate! Apply Now |
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