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All Collier Trophy Nominees Stand Tall

   Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the award of the Collier Trophy is not the prestige that it confers upon the year's winner, but rather the stimulating environment created by the selection and award process itself.

   Every competitor understands that there can only be one winner each year, but that does not inhibit entrants, and for a very good reason. Organizations or individuals submitting a nomination does so with the complete satisfaction of knowing that they arerecognizing a job well done - a reward in itself. 

   The act of submitting a contender for the Collier Trophy is a tribute not only to the person, the flight or the vehicle nominated, but also to everyone who participated in the process, from designer to crew to vendor to clerk. Just being an entrant provides an enormous psychological resource to the submitting organization. The act of entering the competition says to everyone involved, "You have done so well that your work merits consideration for the most prestigious award in aviation."

   The perceived value of being a participant in the Collier selection process is enhanced by the genuine sense of belonging to an elite group, one that shines well above all the others in the industry.

   This feeling of belonging is further enhanced by the climate of solidarity found at every Collier Trophy award dinner where the winner is properly gratified by the single recognition of receiving such an important award.

   But there is an almost equal gratification among the other contenders in the audience, who knew how just how well their nominee had to have done to even have been considered a contender. The result is a universal recognition of just how demanding is the discipline in which we strive, and how rewarding it is to be placed in such elite company.
   I urge everyone to look at their projects which meet the criteria for the award of the Collier Trophy, and then to make a detailed submission. You can do so with confidence that your submission will be carefully considered by informed and dedicated members of the selection committee. You may also have confidence that your doing so will be greatly appreciated by all of those who helped create the project itself.

Walter Boyne

NAA Chairman

Virgin Galactic Opens Spaceport America

   It may not yet have the notoriety of the Mos Eisley spaceport in the Star Wars movie, but Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, is now open for business in southern New Mexico.

   The facility opened on October 18, 2011 in an exciting ceremony attended by scores of enthusiastic future astronauts, celebrities, key government officials, and several Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) leaders. EAA reported on the opening on its website, including videos of some of the events.

   Virgin Galactic Chairman Sir Richard Branson, who along with his children Sam and Holly will be the first commercial passengers on SpaceShipTwo, provided one of the day's highlights when they rappelled from the roof of the gleaming new 114,000-square-foot building proclaiming the terminal as the "Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space."

Project Bandaloop dancers of San Francisco hang and dance on the side window wall of the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space Hangar as a large crowd plus WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo reflect in the glass. (2011 Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic)

  The spaceport includes a 2-mile runway and will serve as the operating hub for public space travel envisioned by Branson. A demonstration flight of WhiteKnightTwo and captive-carried SpaceShipTwo provided a glimpse of the nascent space tourism industry.

   The new facility is a combined terminal and hangar facility, supporting up to two WhiteKnightTwo and five SpaceShipTwo vehicles. It will also house all of the company's astronaut preparation and celebration facilities, a mission control center, and a friends-and-family area, as well as public access through the New Mexico Spaceport Authority's planned Visitor Experience.

   Branson called the complex "a 21st century building for a 21st century business" that incorporates extensive environmental considerations such as geothermal heating and cooling. Designed by UK-based Foster + Partners, URS Corporation, and local New Mexico architects SMPC, Spaceport America meets LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standards for environmental quality.

Harrison Ford Speaks to

Senate General Aviation Caucus

   As the  Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) reported on its website, "the frenzied activity of Congress will stop to listen when a well-informed celebrity has something to say."

   So it was on October 19, 2011, when longtime EAA member, pilot, and former Young Eagles program chairman Harrison Ford talked about the importance of general aviation to the U.S. Senate General Aviation Caucus. Ford was also the winner of the NAA's 2010 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy.

   He joined Senate General Aviation Caucus Co-Chairs Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) in speaking to nine other senators, numerous senate staff members, and assembled media about the importance of general aviation to the nation's economy and transportation system.

   Among the issues highlighted during the Capitol Hill appearance were the threat of the $100-per-flight user fee proposal unveiled by the Obama administration, the efforts toward finding a suitable replacement of 100 low-lead aviation fuel, and the importance of maintaining the Block Aircraft Registration (BARR) request program that maintains privacy rights of aviators from public Internet access following during flights.

   Several other aviation groups also oppose the proposed $100 user fee. The U.S. Parachute Association (USPA) reported on its website that a petition, "Take User Fees off the Table," has been launched on a site recently inaugurated by the White House that allows anyone to petition on a specific issue.

   If within 30 days 5,000 people sign a petition, the White House staff will issue an official response and direct it to the appropriate agency. As of October 24, the petition had 8,580 signatures. Even though this petition has already reached the 5,000-person threshold, additional signatures still send an important message to the White House, so every signature counts.

Jet-Powered Sailplane Featured

On the History Channel

   The Soaring Society of America (SSA) reports that the BonusJet jet-powered sailplane will be featured on the History Channel Modern Marvels program beginning Monday, October 10, 2011. Modern Marvels has moved to the History Channel's new sister channel H2, which may not be available in some areas. The History Channel website lists the program at 10:00 PM EDT (7:00 PM PDT), but check local listings for the time in your area.

 Desert Aerospace, LLC, manufactures the BonusJet, which is the first truly practical jet self-launching sailplane.

Injured Veterans Take Flight

   The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (USHPA) reported on its website that The New York Times published an article, "Accustomed to Wheels, Thrill-Seeking Injured Veterans Take Wing," which describes how some veterans are taking up paragliding.

Southern Calif. Club Members Preview

New Air Museum at Santa Monica

Artist's rendering of the new Museum of Flying.

Members of the Aero Club of Southern California (ACSC) made a preview visit in September to their state's newest aviation museum, now nearing completion at the Santa Monica Airport with a public opening set before year-end.

   The $3.8 million Museum of Flying will be home to two dozen historic aircraft and a variety of exhibits, many related to the Douglas Aircraft Company, which built thousands of airplanes there in the wartime years of the 1940s.

   ACSC plans its final meeting of the year in Los Angeles on November 17, when it will award its annual scholarships to selected high school and college students and host a group of California aviators who will receive aviation record certificates and FAI awards from NAA President Jonathan Gaffney recognizing speed or altitude records set during 2011.

GDOT Official Speaks to

Carol Comer

Atlanta Aero Club

Carol Comer, Acting Director for the Georgia Department of Transportation Division of Intermodal spoke to the Atlanta Aero Club in October. She oversees the state's aviation, transit, rail, and waterways programs.

   The presentation included statistics from a recent Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study, which quantifies the economic contribution of the state's 104 publicly-owned, public-use airports to the state

Craig Fuller

and local economies. Attendees also viewed a short film, "The Georgia Airports Mean Business."

   The next AAC meeting is scheduled for December 8 at the Capital City Club with Craig Fuller, President of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, as the featured guest speaker.