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TopNAA Record                                          March 2012

 

dreamliner 

Boeing Company 787 Dreamliner to

Receive 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy

   NAA announced on March 13, 2012 that The Boeing Company has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy for "designing, building, certifying, delivering, and supporting the Boeing 787; demonstrating significant advances in the use of materials, technologies, and systems to enhance safety, performance, comfort, and value in commercial aircraft."

   The Collier Trophy will be formally presented at the 101st Collier Dinner "Celebrating Aerospace's Contributions to America and the World" on Thursday, May 10, 2012. The event will be held at Signature Flight Support, Hangar 7, at Reagan Washington National Airport; the 787 will be on hand for tours that evening. For ticket information click here.

   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."

   "I was very pleased with this year's slate of nominations - all of them were impressive, inspirational, and innovative and certainly represent the future of aviation and aerospace," said NAA Chairman Walter Boyne, who chaired the Selection Committee. "I congratulate Boeing on its great accomplishment with the 787."

   "The Collier Trophy is the Super Bowl of aerospace and we couldn't be more honored to receive the award for 2011," said Jim Albaugh, President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "It's not often in a career that we have the chance to make history - to do something big and bold that will change the world in untold ways and endure long after we are gone. The men and women of Boeing and our partners around the world poured their hearts into designing, building and delivering the 787 Dreamliner. We want to thank the National Aeronautic Association and the members of the Collier Selection Committee for recognizing our team's work with such a tremendous honor."

Fancher
Scott Fancher

   Scott Fancher, Vice President and General Manager of the 787 Program, added, "This is a statement to the energy and innovation that exists in this industry. Congratulations to NAA for holding this torch high - it is essential for educational programs in this nation. Aviation is challenging and hard and the 787 was no different. But our team never wavered on quality of this aircraft. It did exactly what we envisioned it doing 10 years ago."

   Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of NAA, managed the selection process. "I want to particularly thank the Collier Trophy Selection Committee for its commitment to this process. We were honored to have an outstanding group of aviation and aerospace experts participate and, by their presence and interaction, certainly enhanced the entire Collier Selection process."

   Other nominees for the 2011 Collier Trophy were:

  • C-5M Super Galaxy
  • The Gamera Human-Powered Helicopter
  • Team Pipistrel-USA.com

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NAA April Luncheon to Feature

David Bronczek of FedEx Express

 

Thursday, April 10 is the date for the next NAA luncheon. The featured speaker is David Bronczek, President and Chief Executive Officer of Memphis-based FedEx Express, who will speak to how the world's largest express transportation company is delivering solutions that work. Bronczek joined the company in 1976 in operations and assumed his current position in February 2000. The event will be at the Crystal Gateway Marriott starting with a reception at 11:30 followed by lunch at Noon. Click here to register.

 

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NAA Honors Most Memorable Aviation

Records of 2011 at Spring Awards Luncheon

The year 2011 saw a number of outstanding aviation records recognized by NAA, the U.S. representative of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Five of seven records chosen as "Most Memorable" by the NAA Contest and Records Board, were on hand at the NAA Spring Awards Ceremony and Luncheon in March 2012, which was sponsored by GE Aviation.

 

Boeing 787 Goes the Distance

60
Chad Lundy, Rod Skaar, and Michael Carriker (left to right)

   In December, pilots of a Boeing 787 completed an around-the-world flight requiring just one fuel stop. The first leg of the flight from Seattle, Washington to Dhaka, Bangladesh, covered 11,894 miles, setting a record for distance. The flight also set a record for Speed Around the World, Eastbound, at 541 mph, with an elapsed time of 42 hours, 26 minutes.

   Rod Skaar, Michael Carriker, and Chad Lundy - three of the six pilots for the flight - accepted the award and thanked "the tens of thousands of people who made the Dreamliner a real airplane."

 

Yak Speed

Will Whiteside

   In a series of four low passes over a 3-kilometer stretch along runway 8-26 at Wendover, Utah, in October 2011, Will Whiteside flew an average speed of 416 mph in his Yak-3. An article in the March edition of Air & Space Magazine called his airplane "One Fast Yak," which is equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-2000, a 14-cylinder radial engine with modifications that increase engine performance by 300-400 horsepower to over 1,700 horsepower.

   "We've learned how to go fast," Whiteside said. "It's taken a group of 20 guys and nice sponsors and an unbelievable amount of outreach in aviation community. It's been a great education about what we are in the aviation community. Thanks to NAA for making the process so easy for us."

He also expressed hope that the flight would inspire kids to go into aviation. "We have a real problem with that," Whiteside noted.

 

Glider Distance Record

Hugh Bennett and Gordon Boettger with Jonathan Gaffney

  After releasing from their tow plane above Minden, Nevada, in April 2011, Gordon Boettger and Hugh Bennett flew their Schempp-Hirth Duo Discus glider a distance of 1,321 miles using lift generated along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Their 13-hour flight on April 21 beat the previous record of 960 miles, which the two set earlier in the year.

The flight took them as high as 28,000 feet, where the temperature inside the unheated cockpit dropped to 20 degrees below zero. The pilots also dealt with icing, a cramped cockpit, lack of oxygen, extreme turbulence and downdrafts, fatigue, and high surface winds.

"This is the most dynamic type of flying anyone can do," Boettger said in accepting the award. "I got Hugh hooked on this. Our key is trying to promote this and my goal is to get visibility out there through soaring."

 

Fastest Record of the Year

Bill Dobbs and Ron Newton with Jonathan Gaffney

   Departing the Burbank airport in California in January 2011, Gulfstream G650 pilots Bill Dobbs and Ron Newton flew non-stop to the Hilton Head International airport in Georgia. The 3-hour, 26-minute flight averaged 623 mph along the route, establishing the record for speed from Los Angeles to Savannah. Of the 28 records of this type set last year, this record was the fastest.

 

Human-Powered Helicopter

University of Maryland Gamera Team

   Using hand and foot pedals to turn the helicopter's four 42-foot rotors, Judith Wexler flew the University of Maryland's "Gamera" in ground effect for 11.4 seconds. The flight, which took place at the university's campus in College Park, Maryland, in July 2011, set a record for duration. The team beat its own record, set two months earlier, of 4.2 seconds.

   Team members Ben Berry, Joe Schmaus, William Staruk, Elizabeth Whiner, and Graham Bowen-Davies accepted the award.

"I will never forget the excitement when Judith - our little engine that could - got the helicopter in the air," Staruk said. "The undergraduates put in thousands of hours to make this possible - they are the real heroes."

 

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Carol Carmody Receives Stinson Award

   Carol Carmody, who has a long and distinguished career in public service supporting the aviation industry, received the 2011 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award at the NAA Spring Awards Ceremony and Luncheon.

 51  The Stinson 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.

   Carmody's public service includes serving as a professional aviation staff member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, U.S. ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

   Before that, she served 11 years at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in roles of increasing responsibility.

   Carmody is known for her work on legislation to mandate inspections for aging aircraft, to authorize passenger facility charges, and to reform the FAA, particularly in the areas of finance and procurement. At ICAO, she helped launch a safety oversight program to assess the compliance of countries with ICAO standards.

   "The capstone of my career was ICAO and NTSB," Carmody said in accepting the award. "The results of those efforts yielded a lot of international standards. I felt like I was acting to make people's lives safer."

 

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Nominate Humanitarian Aviation Efforts

For Public Benefit Flying Awards

   The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the Air Care Alliance created the Public Benefit Flying Awards, a set of national awards designed to recognize the significant contributions of those individuals who fly for the benefit of others, and public benefit flying organizations.

NAA asks for your help in identifying those who have done outstanding work in humanitarian activities and should be recognized. These awards are presented annually at the celebratory "Above and Beyond" awards ceremony, held each fall in the United States Capitol.

The five award categories are listed below along with descriptions of who should be nominated and the criteria for each category.

   Distinguished Volunteer Pilot - Awarded to an individual or individuals for outstanding public benefit flying service as a volunteer pilot; awarded for performance that exceeds expectations and distinguishes the nominees or their efforts from others.

   Distinguished Volunteer - Awarded to an individual or individuals for outstanding service as a non-flying volunteer working in public benefit flying; awarded for performance that exceeds expectations and distinguishes non-pilot volunteers or their effort from others.

   Outstanding Achievement in Advancement of Public Benefit Flying - Awarded for outstanding achievement by an individual or organization that helped raise the standard of service of or contributed significantly to the overall advancement of Public Benefit Flying; awarded for exemplary achievement or contributions by an individual, group of individuals, an organization, or group of organizations that significantly raised the standard of service, improved the state-of-the-art, or contributed to the advancement of Public Benefit flying overall.

   Public Benefit Flying Teamwork Award - Awarded for outstanding cooperation and coordination involving two or more unaffiliated Public Benefit Flying organizations in the accomplishment of a common mission, task, or objective; awarded for exemplary collaboration involving unrelated individuals and/or unaffiliated and independent public benefit flying organizations in order to complete a task or endeavor beyond the scope and resources of any one public benefit flying organization.

   Champion of Public Benefit Flying - Awarded to an individual, organization, or company who, while not operationally directly involved in Public Benefit Flying, has provided extraordinary support for such efforts and thus advanced the cause of Public Benefit Flying; award is intended for individuals or groups not directly or primarily involved in public benefit flying, for extraordinary support and contributions providing fair winds beneath the wings of public benefit flying organizations and their volunteers.

   Click here to learn how to submit a nomination and view a listing and photos of previous recipients of these awards. Nominations are due by May 31, 2012.

 

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President's Message

Collier Epitomizes Aviation Progress 

 

   As you read in this newsletter, Boeing and its 787 Dreamliner was selected last month as the recipient of the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy. All of us at the National Aeronautic Association congratulate them on their great accomplishment and their remarkable aircraft. 

Of course, the Trophy - permanently displayed at the SSmall Jonathanmithsonian's National Air and Space Museum - will be presented at the Annual Collier Dinner on May 10, 2012. This year the event will be held here in Hangar 7 at Reagan National Airport with the 787 aircraft on hand for inspection by Collier Dinner guests.

   But the Collier Trophy dinner is more than just about the recipient. While the trophy reflects "...the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America," it also reflects our nation's progress in aviation for over a century.

   Robert Collier commissioned the trophy in 1910 with the intent to encourage the American aviation community to strive for excellence and achievement in aeronautic development.  But while the Collier Dinner is to honor the recipient, it is also designed to celebrate the relentless progress of our industry.

   Please make plans to join us on May 10. I promise that you find it a great use of your time.

 

Jonathan Gaffney

NAA President and CEO

 

F-35 Making Progress

   Attendees at the monthly NAA February 2012 luncheon received a synopsis and update from Tom Burbage, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, on the company's F-35 Lightning II program.

   The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth-generation multi-role fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions with stealth capability. It includes three models - the F-35A is as conventional takeoff and landing variant, the F-35B is a short take-off and vertical-landing variant and the F-35C is a carrier-based variant. Burbage

   The F-35 is part of the Joint Strike Fighter program, which is principally funded by the United States with partner nations providing additional funding. The F-35 program includes partners from nine countries - partnerships that Burbage emphasized are essential to the success of the program. Those partners include the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway.

   All eight partner nations contribute to the design, development and manufacture of the F-35. Israel and Singapore have invested in the F-35 program as security cooperation participants, with access to program information and the ability to request special studies.

   Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor, with its principal industrial partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, and performs aircraft final assembly, overall system integration, mission system and provides forward fuselage, wings and flight controls systems.More than 900 additional companies in the United States alone are F-35 suppliers. Other components are manufactured overseas by some partner nations. Burbage pointed out, as an example, that a final assembly and checkout facility (FACO) constructed in less than 12 months at Cameri Air Base in Italy, will be operational this year.

   The United States intends to buy 2,443 aircraft to provide the bulk of its tactical airpower for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy over the coming decade. The current international partners' planned quantities are as follows: United Kingdom, 138; Italy, 90; Netherlands, 85; Turkey, 100; Australia, 100; Norway, 48; Denmark, 30; Canada, 65. With additional foreign military sales, the total number of F-35s produced could reach 4,000 or more. Joint coalitions with fleets of fully interoperable F-35s will have the capacity to operate with unimpeded collaboration, while maintaining security and air superiority.

   Burbage described the value of the program as industrial cooperation between countries and global security; lower lifecycle costs; countering current and future threats that don't stand still; economies of commonality and scale with so many partners and an industrial footprint based on higher scale; and an effective coalition.

   Burbage told those gathered that the objectives of the F-35, which he referred to as the centerpiece for 21st century global security, are affordable tri-service recapitalization to close the coalition capability gap, respond to future threat proliferation, strengthen existing alliances, and improve the ability to form new coalitions.

   Reporting on the program's progress, Burbage said, "Our factory will deliver F-35 airplanes at a rate of four per month this year and after that we'll go to three per month." He also said flight tests were about 24 percent completed and that structural, static, and drop testing were complete. Burbage emphasized that 2011 had been a big year for the F-35 with the first F-35B vertical landing and take-offs trials at sea aboard the USS Wasp last October.

   Looking ahead to the rest of this year, Burbage said, "We're starting to get combat-ready with a flight test plan that calls for high angle of attack and weapon separation testing and the accumulation of 1,001 test flights and 7,873 test points."

   Burbage concluded his remarks by emphasizing that he believes the F-35 is essential to our national security strategy.

 

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Air Sport Organization News

Felix Baumgartner Skydives From

71,581 Feet; Reaches 364.4 mph

skydivers
Felix Baumgartner exits his capsule at more than 71,000 feet to begin his skydive.

   The United States Parachute Association (USPA) reported that the Red Bull Stratos project scored a major milestone on its first of three manned flights to the edge of space, sending Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner up for the highest skydive in 50 years.   On the morning of March 16, 2012, after an eight-hour countdown, the launch team released a 1.2-million-cubic-foot Raven balloon that lifted a pressurized capsule with Baumgartner inside, climbing to 71,581 feet. Baumgartner then stepped off the front of the capsule and fell with perfect stability for three minutes, 33 seconds, manually opening his parachute at 2,405 meters (about 4,000 feet above the local terrain). He is the third person to successfully skydive above 70,000 feet, joining Joe Kittinger (102,800 feet) and Soviet jumper Eugene Andreev, who in 1962 jumped from 83,523 feet and holds the official FAI world record. Baumgartner set a new world freefall speed record, 364.4 mph, and he stood up his landing.

 

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Aero Club News

Jeff Turner of Spirit AeroSystems

Receives Wichita Aero Club Trophy

Wichita 1
Jeff Turner of Spirit AeroSystems (right) is congratulated by NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney.

   The Wichita Aero Club (WAC) presented its second annual Wichita Aero Club Trophy to Jeff Turner, CEO of Spirit AeroSystems. TheTrophy Gala, held in late January 2012, was attended by more than 250 people. NAA President Jonathan Gaffney attended.

   Turner, who has been the Chief Executive Officer of Spirit since it was formed in 2005, has led the transformation of the company from a former division of The Boeing Company to the design/build provider of choice in commercial aviation. It now provides key components and systems for Airbus, Bombardier, Gulfstream, IAI, Mitsubishi, Sikorsky, Rolls-Royce and the U.S. government, as well as several airlines.

   Turner is the second recipient of the WAC Trophy. The first was awarded in 2011 to Velma Wallace, widow of the longtime Chairman of Cessna Aircraft Company and nephew of Clyde Cessna, Dwane Wallace.

   The Wichita Aero Club seeks nominations for its annual Wichita Aero Club Trophy each year between July 1 and December 1. The club presents the trophy to an individual, group, or organization with ties to the local aviation community whose exemplary achievements and contributions in the field of aviation or aerospace deserve special recognition.

 

Clay Lacy Honored by Aero Club of Southern California

Clay Lacy (left) receives the Howard Hughes Award medallion from 2009 honoree Bob Hoover.

   Veteran pilot, business innovator, and philanthropist Clay Lacy was honored by the Aero Club of Southern California with its 33rd annual Howard Hughes Memorial Award.

   Lacy, based in Van Nuys, California, is a retired United Airlines captain, former military fighter pilot, air race pilot, and experimental test pilot. He has logged more than 50,000 flight hours, making him one of the world's most experienced pilots. He is the longtime head of an aircraft leasing and charter firm that specializes in air-to-air photography for Hollywood feature movies and TV commercials.

 

board
Pictured left to right in front of the Boeing 787 are ACSC Board member Bob Ettinger, Treasurer Art McAllister, and President Nissen Davis.

  Presenting the award medallion to Lacy at a February banquet in Los Angeles was Bob Hoover, famed World War II combat pilot and aerobatic expert who was the recipient of the same award for 2009.

In other news, members of the Aero Club of Southern California's Board of Directors were among dignitaries (including Governor Jerry Brown) invited to Long Beach Airport April 14 to inspect Boeing's Collier Trophy-winning B-787 Dreamliner.

 

ACONE Sponsors Crash Course Seminar

   The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) sponsored the 2012 Crash Course Seminar in March in Bedford, Massachusetts, where more than 400 pilots attended the Airline Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute's newest seminar, "Wanted: Alive! Reining in the Fatal Accident Rate," conducted by Andy Miller. The program also included a review of local aviation accidents by Crash Course Chair Paul Diette.

   ACONE will present its prestigious Godfrey L. Cabot Award to Herb Kelleher, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Southwest Airlines, on June 8, 2012 at the Harvard Club in Boston, Massachusetts. The award is presented to individuals or teams who have made unique and unparalleled contributions to encourage and advance aviation and space flight. For more information, contact Georgia Pappas at 781-592-9357.

ACONE
The 2012 Crash Course team.

NAA Logo

In This Issue
Collier Trophy Winner
NAA April Luncheon
Most Memorable Records
Carmody Receives Stinson Trophy
Public Benefit Flying Awards
President's Message
February Luncheon Recap
Air Sport Organization News
Aero Club News
Upcoming Events
Call for Nominations
Featured Member Orgs
Records Claimed
Air Sports Link
NAA Credit Card


Upcoming Events

April Luncheon

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Featuring:

David Bronczek

President & CEO of FedEx Express

Click here to register

 

Collier Dinner

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Click here for info

 

June Luncheon

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Featuring:

Capt. Eugene Cernan, USN (Ret.)

The last man to walk on the Moon

Click here to register

 

Call for Nominations

2012 Public Benefit Flying Awards

Nominations Close 5/31/12

Awards recognizing the humanitarian efforts of pilots and flying organizations.

for details.

 




This month's featured member
organizations:



Gulfstream    




Hawker Beechcraft    



Jeppeson   



Embry-Riddle



GAMA  



Records Claimed
December 1 - 31, 2011  

FAI 80 

 

AEROPLANES

 

Speed Over a Recognized Course:

 

Melbourne, Australia to Kona, HI:  554.09 mph*

Mitchell T. Lowery & Joseph N. Griffin

Class C-1.l, Group III (Jet)

Gulfstream G550

2 BMW Rolls-Royce BR700

1/5/2012

 

Santa Ana, CA to Savannah, GA:   

599.63 mph*

& Transcontinental Speed, West to East:  599.63 mph*

Timothy J. McClelland & Brian D. Erickson

Class C-1.g, Group III (Jet)

Gulfstream G150

2 Honeywell TFE731

1/22/2012

 

Time to Climb to 3,000 Meters:  2 min 24 sec

& Time to Climb to 6,000 Meters:  5 min 15 sec

Will E. Whiteside

Class C-1.d, Group I (Internal Combustion)

Yakovlev Yak-3

1 Pratt & Whitney R-2000

Santa Rosa, CA

2/27/2012

 

Time to Climb to 3,000 Meters:  2 min 30 sec

& Time to Climb to 6,000 Meters:  5 min 47 sec

Will E. Whiteside

Class C-1.e, Group I (Internal Combustion)

Yakovlev Yak-3

1 Pratt & Whitney R-2000

Santa Rosa, CA

2/27/2012

 

Time to Climb to 3,000 Meters:  2 min 5 sec

Will E. Whiteside

Class C-1.d, Group I (Internal Combustion)

Yakovlev Yak-3

1 Pratt & Whitney R-2000

Santa Rosa, CA

2/28/2012

 

Except where noted by an asterisk (*), information is preliminary and subject to approval.



This Month's
Air Sport Link     
USPA    

  

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