The Sikorsky X2 Technology Demonstrator Team proudly accepted the 100th Collier Trophy. Pictured left to right are Emmitt Wallace, Eagle Aviation Technologies; Brian Gora, Goodrich Corporation; Sal Marano, Hamilton Sundstrand; Daryl Mastin, Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company; Walter Boyne, NAA; Jeffrey Pino, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation; Jonathan Gaffney,NAA; Sash Eranki, Moog, Inc.; and John Violette,   Rotating Composite Technologies.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and the

X2 Technology Demonstrator Team

Honored at 2011 Collier Dinner

   "The most dangerous forecast in aviation is to predict the impossibility of something."  This quote from Igor I. Sikorsky, founder of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, was delivered by his son, Sergei Sikorsky, during a toast at the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy Presentation Banquet on May 5, 2011. It epitomizes what makes aviation great: an unrelenting desire for and amazing track record of innovation.

   The 2010 Collier Trophy was awarded this year to the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and the X2 Technology Demonstrator Team.  This marked the third time the name Sikorsky has been a part of receiving this honor. Igor Sikorsky accepted the 1950 Collier Trophy from President Harry S. Truman, and the company was honored again in 2002 for its S-92 helicopter.

   The Collier Trophy is awarded annually "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."

   The Sikorsky X2 Team certainly met those criteria on September 15, 2010, when its demonstrator helicopter reached a top cruise speed of 253 knots in level flight. In doing so, it also demonstrated all the attractive low-speed and hovering attributes of a helicopter while enabling flight and maneuverability at air speeds that were never before possible.

Jeff Pino, President of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (center) accepts the Collier Trophy from NAA Chairman Walter Boyne (left) and NAA President & CEO   Jonathan Gaffney (right).

   "I am absolutely overwhelmed," said Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation President Jeffrey P. Pino as he accepted the award on behalf of the X2 Technology Demonstrator Team.

   Pino recognized and thanked former Sikorsky President Steve Finger and told how Finger used to drive innovation in the company. He said Finger would pull his team together, review the company's successes, and then ask, "How do we change it?"

   Pino also recognized two hourly employees who attended the dinner representing many of the 18,000 Sikorsky employees, saying, "Without their work this would not be possible."

   Dick Rutan, 1986 Collier Trophy recipient, in his remarks in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Collier Trophy, praised the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation for its continuing courage to innovate. "I give quite a bit of credit to people who take a risk and do it with their own money," he said. Sikorsky invested $50 million in the project.

   "This is the Oscar of aviation, and you can be proud of what you have accomplished here," Rutan told the Sikorsky team.

   Sikorsky joined with several partners to develop the X2 Technology, including Eagle Aviation Technologies, Goodrich Corporation, Hamilton Sundstrand, LHTEC (Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company, a Rolls-Royce/Honeywell Partnership), Moog, Inc., and Rotating Composite Technologies.

   As one might expect, Pino said Sikorsky is already planning to win the Collier Trophy again with its X-97 Raider, a proposed high-speed scout and attack helicopter.

   The 2011 Collier Trophy Presentation Banquet occurred just four days after two Sikorsky Black Hawk stealth helicopters played a critical role in the mission that found and killed Osama Bin Laden. 

   "Our helicopter played a role in taking out the biggest terrorist in the world and I was pretty proud that day," Pino said. "I am also proud and humbled today."

Transportation Department Deputy Secretary Porcari Calls For Transportation Investment, Provides NextGen Update

   Declaring that "the only way to climb out of the recession is to invest in transportation," U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari provided an update on many air transportation issues at the April 14 NAA Luncheon.

   He noted that the civil aviation sector employs 11 million people and contributes more than $1 trillion to the U.S. economy, and also predicted a 25 percent increase in air traffic by 2025."

   "But this growth is only an opportunity if we invest in it," Porcari declared. "We're going to double down on NextGen (the new air traffic control system) and go from a land-based system to a space-based GPS system."

   He described many of the latest testing and development of NextGen, which uses the satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system that was honored with the NAA 2007 Robert J. Collier Trophy. It is slated to replace the radar system that air traffic controllers and airplanes currently use.

   The ADS-B system will reduce the cost of infrastructure, provide air-to-air surveillance capability, surveillance to remote or inhospitable areas that do not currently have coverage with radar, real-time traffic and aeronautical information in the cockpit, and allow for reduced separation and greater predictability in departure and arrival times, as well as other benefits.

   "We are excited about the future and that we are laying the groundwork for future prosperity," Porcari said as he talked about need to continue implement the system as quickly as possible. "Look around and ask who paid for the current transportation network. It was our parents, grandparents, and in some cases our great-grandparents. Are we doing right by the next generation? I think the answer is no. Past generations have done the right thing for us and we need to do the same."

   Recommendations from the ADS-B Aviation Rulemaking Committee are due to the Federal Aviation Administration leaders in Fall 2011. Those findings are expected to provide a clear definition on how the aviation community should proceed with ADS-B.

One of the major cost factors in bringing NextGen online is installing new equipment in airplane cockpits.

   "The tax package signed in December provides people with tax incentives to invest," Porcari observed. "For the aviation industry it means 100 percent expensing this year - never before has this tax incentive been higher than 20 percent." He indicated that this provides a window of time for companies to install NextGen equipment in cockpits this year to gain the maximum tax break.

   Porcari also noted the integral role that aviation plays in helping to meet the Obama Administration's goals in the National Export Initiative. "If we are going to double exports in five years, how do we get there," he asked. "Without aviation, our system would grind to a halt. We are focusing on how to remove barriers to exporting. Also, we can't consider different modes of transportation as separate systems - it is one system that is intermodal. If one part of the system fails, the whole system fails."

   Porcari also said he was "angry and outraged" by the latest incident of an air traffic controller falling asleep on the job. "Our air traffic system is the safest system in the world and we all take personal responsibility to keep it safe."

   For his part, he talked about how he helped create a safety council the Department of Transportation that includes chief safety officers and agency administrators. "We have a common work program to use the best safety practices from anywhere and confidentially report safety issues," he said. "We took that system from some agencies and put it in others. We share not only best practices but research and data that help us make better decisions. The goal is to build a safety culture in the Transportation Department."

Heroic F-15E Pilots and Crew

to Receive Mackay Trophy

   Four U.S. Air Force officers who killed more than 80 Taliban fighters and saved the lives of approximately 30 coalition troops in Afghanistan last year have been named the recipients of the prestigious Clarence Mackay Trophy.

   The trophy is awarded annually for the most "meritorious" Air Force flight that demonstrated "gallantry, intrepidity, initiative, resourcefulness, and achievement of outstanding results in combat or non-combat conditions."

   Lieutenant Colonel Donald D. Cornwell, Lieutenant Colonel Dylan T. Wells, Captain Leigh P. Larkin, and First Lieutenant Nicholas R. Tsougas distinguished themselves by meritorious airmanship on April 6, 2010. While operating as a flight of two F-15Es - call signs Dude 01 and Dude 02 - they were tasked to support a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force team surrounded by over 100 enemy fighters in the town of Bala Morgab, Afghanistan.

   With weather below rescue force launch minimums, Dude flight used Terrain Following Radar to execute five "Show of Force" passes in a valley surrounded by high terrain. When hostilities escalated, Dude Flight expertly employed six Joint Direct Attack Munitions, helping kill over 80 Taliban fighters who occupied reinforced positions within the town. Their efforts helped save the lives of approximately 30 coalition troops. There were no civilian causalities.

   The officers will be recognized as the 2010 Mackay Trophy recipients at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet November 7, 2011 in Arlington, VA.

Brewer and Elder Statesman Awards

Now Open for Nominations

The Brewer Trophy

   The month of May marks the open call for nominations for two of NAA's prestigious awards: The Frank G. Brewer Trophy and the Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award. Nominations for both will be accepted through July 31, 2011.

   In the summer of 1943, Birmingham, Alabama businessman Frank G. Brewer established a foundation in honor of his two sons, who were serving in World War II. Originally called the "Junior Collier Trophy," this award soon became known simply as the Brewer Trophy and is awarded annually to an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

The Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award

   Originally established by the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautic Association in 1954, the Elder Statesman of Aviation Award the was re-named the Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Awardin 2007 in honor of NAA's long-serving Chairman. A new trophy design was unveiled and awarded to Admiral McDonald at a special Honorary Dinner in March of that year. The purpose of the Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award is to honor outstanding Americans, age 60 and above, who, by their efforts over a period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics, and have reflected credit upon America and themselves.

NAA Life Member Everett Langworthy Passes

   Everett Walter Langworthy, retired Colonel, USAF, 92, of Wilmington, North Carolina, died on Monday, April 4, 2011 at Lower Cape Fear Hospice Care Center.  Born on August 17, 1918 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Langworthy was a World War II pilot, flew the Berlin Air Lift, and circled the world multiple times as an official observer for NAA.

    He joined NAA in 1976, where he served as Secretary of the Contest and Records Board and was Official Observer on many record flights. Langworthy was later was named Executive Vice President of NAA and served as a U.S. Delegate to the F�d�ration A�ronautic Internationale (FAI) and as a member on the Board of Directors of several NAA affiliated organizations, including the Academy of Model Aeronautics, Soaring Society of America, and United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

   In 1987 Langworthy received the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma for service to the cause of aviation in general, and sporting aviation in particular. NAA recognized him in 1992 as an Elder Statesman of Aviation for lifelong contributions of significant value to aviation.

   Colonel Langworthy joined the Army Air Corp in 1942 and retired in 1972 with the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, American Campaign Medal, European/African/Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, World War II/Berlin Airlift Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award with two oak leaf clusters, and Air Force Small Arms Expert in Marksmanship Medal.  He had 30 years of continuous active duty in the USAF, accumulating more than 12,000 accident-free flying hours.

   Colonel Langworthy is survived by his wife Joan, his children John, Jo Ann Sears and Bob. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined.

NAA Hosts Conference Call for ASOs on

New Transponders for ADS-B Compliance

   NAA held a valuable conference call for its affiliated Air Sport Organization (ASO) members on the future possibility of transponders that must be installed in all types of aircraft including gliders, balloons, and hang gliders which will be capable of connecting to ADS-B once the NextGen air traffic control system is activated.

   Many ASO members have been asking questions about these transponders and proposed new federal requirements, and this conference call answered many of those questions.

   The call was led by two top Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials who are developing the proposed rules. They included Don Walker, AIR-130 Surveillance Team Lead, and Charles Sloane, AIR-130 Aerospace Engineer.

ADS-B provides air traffic controllers and aircraft pilots with detailed real-time information on position, velocity, and identification. The Federal Aviation Administration is developing a Technical Standard Order (TSO) for affordable ADS-B equipment in non-rule airspace.

   The proposed TSO for the transponders begins with a 60-day public comment period beginning in May 2011, a June FAA workshop to provide more information, and the final release of the TSO in August 2011.

  Click here for more information.

Congressman John Kline to

Speak at NAA June Luncheon

   U.S. Congressman John Kline (R-MN) will speak at the June 2011 NAA Luncheon on Tuesday, June 14, 2011.

Congressman Kline (left) participated recently in a re-enlistment ceremony on a U.S. Naval warship in   Istanbul, Turkey.

   Kline has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2002 and has established himself as a champion for workers and small businesses, one of Congress's foremost experts on defense and veterans issues, a leader in eliminating wasteful government spending, and an advocate for education.

   He is Chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee and serves on the Armed Services Committee.

   As the father of an Army Blackhawk pilot, the husband of a retired Army nurse, and a 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps, John Kline considers it a personal priority to ensure government keeps its promises to military veterans.

   In February 2011, he participated in a week-long Congressional Delegation trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he observed and assessed the progress being made in the ongoing efforts against Islamist extremists, and visited with Minnesota troops.

   He also traveled with an earlier Congressional Delegation to Afghanistan in May 2010. On the fact-finding mission, Kline met with military and civilian officials as well as U.S. troops currently serving in the area. During their visit, members of the delegation focused on issues pertaining to the training and equipping of U.S. forces, the surge, reconstruction efforts, training of the Afghanistan National Army and Afghanistan National Police, and combating corruption.

   The luncheon will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott; the reception is at 11:30 a.m. and the luncheon runs from Noon-1:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per seat or $420 for a table of eight people. Click here to register.

   The luncheon series is supported by NAA 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.

Coming Together For Mutual Benefit

   On Tuesday, April 26, 2011, NAA had the pleasure of hosting an hour-long conference call with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding its current work on a Technical Standard Order (TSO) pertaining to Surveillance Avionics in all in Non-Rule Airspace.

   Essentially, FAA is developing a long-range plan for what ADS-B may look like in aircraft like balloons, gliders, and hang gliders, which have no inherent electrical system to power avionics. The overarching goal is to increase safety for such aircraft and their pilots/crews by making them more visible to air traffic control and other aircraft.

   What made this call possible and meaningful was that we coordinated it on behalf (and at the request of) the affiliated Air Sport Organizations (ASOs) of NAA.  Six of the eight ASOs joined the call. FAA was provided an opportunity to interact with those flyers and organizations most impacted by the TSO and ASOs were provided the opportunity to ask questions, provide insight, and begin their own processes for planning ahead.

   This is not the first time we have joined with our ASOs to discuss regulatory impacts on their sports. Last July NAA held a similar meeting with FAA to discuss Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) and the impact they have on air sports.

   While the affiliated ASOs of NAA are all independent organizations, it is a great benefit to NAA (and the ASOs) to join together to work on issues of mutual concern and interest.  It is part of our NAA Charter and history and a great way to advance the viability and visibility of air sports in America.  

Jonathan Gaffney 

NAA President and CEO

9-Year-Old Boy to Fly Solo in Ultra-Light Balloon

Bobby Bradley operating the burners of a hot air balloon. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Bradley family)

   The Balloon Federation of America (BFA) reported on an Associated Press article about a 9-year-old boy who plans to fly solo in an ultra-light hot air balloon when he takes off from a New Mexico desert in early June 2011.

    Bobby Bradley is the son of well-known balloonists Troy and Tami Bradley of Albuquerque. Both have been licensed pilots since they were teenagers. In 1998, Troy and Tami Bradley won the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, a major event. Six years earlier, Troy Bradley and Richard Abruzzo piloted the first balloon to fly from North America to Africa.

    "I've been flying since I was 4, so I've had a lot of time to train and I've always wanted to solo," Bobby told the Associated Press. Bobby has picked up tips by tagging along with his dad to conferences and seminars on balloon safety. The pair recently attended the BFA national convention in Iowa.

USPA Helps Kill Indiana Skydiving Bill

   The United States Parachute Association (USPA) reports that a bill that would have required state regulation of skydiving in Indiana died in February at the close of the state's legislative session. The bill would have required the state's Office of Aviation to inspect and certify drop zones, funded by new fees placed on those drop zones.

   Days after the bill was introduced by a state senator, USPA Executive Director Ed Scott convened a meeting in Indianapolis among the four Indiana drop zones, their USPA safety and training advisors, and Amy Romig and Brett Nelson, two USPA members who are Indianapolis attorneys and experienced lobbyists.

   After a meeting with the bill's sponsor failed to resolve the issue, USPA supplied the chairman of the Senate Commerce and Economic Development Committee with an explanation of existing USPA requirements and Federal Aviation Administration regulations, arguing that additional state regulation was unnecessary. The chairman agreed, and did not allow the bill to move through his committee.

Kolstad Youth Scholarship Receives Grant 

The Soaring Society of America reported that the Kolstad Youth Scholarship received a $25,000 grant from the Conrad Hilton Foundation. This grant will help sustain the $5,000 college scholarships awarded to youth aged 14-20 who are involved in soaring. Youth interested in applying need to submit an award application and earn either an FAI Silver Badge or a Kolstad Century Award flight that is required as part of the total package.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt

Speaks at Atlanta Aero Club Luncheon

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt

Randy Babbitt, Administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), spoke at the Atlanta Aero Club luncheon on May 5, 2010.

   Babbitt, a veteran pilot who flew 25 years for Eastern Airlines, is an internationally recognized expert in aviation and labor relations and was appointed FAA Administrator in June 2009. He was also appointed by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to be a member of a special Internal Review Team to assess safety oversight within the airline industry and the FAA.

   "Administrator Babbitt reviewed all the important issues facing the aviation industry today, with a special emphasis on safety," said Steve Champness, President of the Atlanta Aero Club  "We were thrilled to have him join us and we know that with him in charge of the FAA, the right decisions will be made to protect people and prepare the aviation industry for the future. This may be the most important single meeting in the Aero Club's 26-year history with FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt as the guest speaker."

   Visit the Atlanta Aero Club for more information.

ACSC Members See Old Aircraft

Parts Reborn as Art Objects

Aero Club Director Ramona Cox gets an explanation from Donovan Fell, right, and David Hall about how their company, MotoArt, fashioned this $25,000 desk from the elevator of a B-25 bomber.

   A Continental radial engine revived as a pedestal for a round coffee table, a couch fashioned from the wing float of a Grumman Albatross, an office chair that once served as a B-52 ejection seat -- approximately 70 members and guests of the Aero Club of Southern California (ACSC) got a close-up look in April at how these and other collectors' items are designed and built at a unique factory in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

   The group visited the workshop of MotoArt www.motoart.com in El Segundo, CA, a firm started almost on a whim 10 years ago by entrepreneurs Donovan Fell and David Hall. The two began by acquiring a few surplus propellers for resale and then found that collectors pay handsome amounts for retired aircraft components that are deftly transformed into furniture pieces and decorative objects.

   The ACSC visitors toured the design studio and workshop with Hall and Fell and enjoyed a reception and dinner at the site

WAC Hosts Teal Group Executive

  The Wichita Aero Club (WAC) hosted Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of the Teal Group, at a luncheon held April 12, 2011, where he addressed a crowd of more than 200 attendees. It was Aboulafia's second presentation to the WAC -- he was the club's very first speaker in December 2008. At that time, he predicted a slowdown in the business aircraft marketplace.

   In his most recent remarks, he noted that a "bifurcation" of the business jet market, coupled with the entry of the first new competitor into the segment since 1969, caused the lower half of the market to experience a 57 percent drop while the upper half (airplanes priced at $25 million or more) actually showed slight growth. This resulted in Wichita being the "epicenter of pain" during the economic downturn, with crushing reductions in revenues and manpower. Aboulafia's forecast was more encouraging at the April luncheon and he estimated 10 percent market growth over the next five years.

   The May luncheon of the WAC will have a distinct Washington flavor as Mike Pompeo, Kansas's freshman congressman from the Fourth District, returns home to address his constituents on the process of cutting budgets, passing continuing resolutions, addressing NextGen, sleeping controllers, and even new Air Force tankers. No stranger to aviation, the new congressman is a graduate of West Point and formerly ran Thayer Aerospace in Wichita, which employs more than 400 workers.

   Wichita Aero Club Executive Director Dave Franson attended the recent Sun 'N Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, FL and was an eyewitness to the high winds and EF-1 tornado that hit the airport during the show. When FOX News needed an on-site report on the storm, they contacted Franson and interviewed him for the news program, Happening Now. While the storm was an unfortunate interruption of the weeklong Sun 'N Fun event, it did provide some national exposure for the WAC and its executive director turned on-scene reporter.

ACONE Annual Awards Luncheon

   Alan Klapmeier, former CEO of Cirrus Design, was the guest speaker at the Aero Club of New England (ACONE) 2011 Awards Luncheon, held April 15, 2011 at the Somerset Club in Boston, MA.

ACONE President, Dan Schrager (left) presents the Paul Revere bowl to Alan Klapmeier

   Klapmeier is currently partnering with Farnborough Aircraft Ltd. to form Kestrel Aircraft Company, which will be based at the former Naval Air Station in Brunswick, ME. Kestral's first design is a composite executive six-passenger aircraft with an anticipated speed of 300 knots and the ability to operate out of short fields.

   Also at the luncheon, the ACONE 2011 Presidential Award was presented to Jack Ferns, longtime New Hampshire resident, former director of New Hampshire Aeronautics, and founding member of the New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society. The award honors Fern's lifelong commitment to aviation in New England.

   This year's Honored Member Award was presented posthumously to Reese Dill, a longtime ACONE director and past president, honoring his many years of support for both the aero club and aviation. Reese's brother, Charles Dill, along with his nephew, Charles, Jr., accepted the award at the luncheon.