NAA's Collier Trophy Dinner set for May 29th

Recipient of the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 2013 is the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration(UCAS-D) 

NAA Chairman, Walter Boyne, announces Northrop Grumman, the U.S. Navy, and the X-47B Industry Team as the recipient of the Collier Trophy for 2013.

On April 9, 2014, the X-47B was selected as the 2013 recipient of the Collier Trophy from a group of nine nominations on April 9th at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. The selection
process took over 7 hours and many aeronautic achievements were highlighted during the presentations. The annual Collier Trophy Dinner will be held on May 29th.

Northrop Grumman's X-47B

            

Jim Albuagh Elected Chairman
of NAA Board

Jim Albaugh and Walter Boyne at the 2012 Collier Dinner.

         

On April 2, 2014, the Board of Directors of the National Aeronautic Association unanimously elected Jim Albaugh, former Executive Vice President of The Boeing Company and Chief Executive Officer of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Business Unit, as Chairman effective July 1, 2014.  He will replace Walter Boyne who has been Chairman of NAA since 2006 and has announced his retirement.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be able to pass the Chairmanship of this great organization onto such a remarkable aviation and aerospace leader as Jim," said Boyne.  "He personifies all of the best attributes of the men and women who make up our great industry.  He will do an outstanding job."

Albaugh, who currently serves as Senior Advisor of the Blackstone Group, began his career with Boeing in 1975 and held numerous senior positions including President and Chief Executive Officer of the Integrated Defense Systems business unit, President and Chief Executive of Space and Communications, and President of Space Transportation. He is President Elect and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

"It is a great honor to be elected to Chair an organization that was established really at the advent of powered flight," said Albaugh.  "I want to thank the Board for their support, and I am looking forward to working with all of them to the benefit of aviation and aerospace in America."

Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2013

Honored at Spring Awards Dinner 

The NAA Spring Awards event is an opportunity to recognize the "Most Memorable Aviation Records" of the preceding year.

Joe Mekina and Andre Mellon share their story of a radio controlled model airplane record flight.

This year was no exception as the April 9^th dinner honored a few of the more than 100 records set during 2013. Art Greenfield, NAA Director, Contest and Records, made the presentations. Record holders in attendance this year are pictured here.

Douglas Matthews recounts his epic flight in a P-51D Mustang.

Andre Mellin, Dave Brown, and Joe Mekina set a Duration record of 18 hrs, 6 mins, 13 secs in their radio controlled, rechargeable electric motor model airplane.

Douglas Matthews set an Altitude record of 42,569 feet in his North American P-51D Mustang on May 22, 2013.  

The crew of Thomas Horne, Bud Ball, John McGrath, Ross Oetjen, and Eric Parker set a record for Speed Around the World, Westbound, of 568.48 mph in a Gulfstream G650.   

Left to right: Jonathan Gaffney, Thomas Horne, and Art Greenfield

Sixty-three female parachutists set a record on Nov. 30, 2013 in a Head-Down Orientation of Vertical Skydiving in Eloy, AZ. Ed Scott, Executive Director of United States Parachute Association accepted the award on their behalf.  

Other Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2013 included William Harrelson for distance (8,114.9 miles) in Class C-1.d, Group I; Chip Yates for Time to Climb to 3,000 meters (5 min, 32 sec) in the Class C-1.b, Group VI category, and Andre Borschberg for Distance Along a Course, Free Flight (936.1 miles) in a solar powered airplane.  

Times of Transition

It is inevitable that organizations change - whether it is their mission, structure, or people.

NAA is going through those changes now. While our mission may never change, (Records, Awards, and Air Sports in America), our people have.

On April 2, 2014, the Board of NAA elected a new Chairman, Jim Albaugh. While the accompanying story gives a more comprehensive background on his remarkable career, it suffices to say that we have done two things: (1) found one of the great leaders in the world of aerospace to lead us into the future, and (2) found someone of the stature, caliber, and reputation of our retiring Chairman, Walter Boyne. We are extremely fortunate.

In January, I brought aboard our new Director of Awards and Events, Dr. Melodie Feather. What has she done in her first 90 days? Cleaned up our 3-year old website project (www.naa.aero - go look at it....its great), organized a very successful Collier Selection, and brought to our office a great sense of energy and customer service.

Last Fall, Michelle Garvin came aboard as our new Director for Administration. Exhibiting a great expertise in membership issues (as well - again - a superb sense of customer service), she has done an exceptional job managing our membership, finance and administrative functions.

Of course, Art Greenfield, our Director of Contest and Records and I remain!

It has been a long road to getting NAA in a sustainable position - in our mission, finances, and structure - and I believe we are "where we need to be."   It is very satisfying and exciting to know we are in a place where we can function effectively in the years ahead.

As always, thank you for your support of NAA.

Jonathan Gaffney

  NAA President and CEO

Dr. Edward C. Stone Receives Aero Club of Southern California's 2013 Howard Hughes Award

Dr. Edward Stone, Aero Club President John Stammreich and 2008 Honoree Dr. Ron Sugar pose with the Howard Hughes Memorial Award trophy

Space scientist Dr. Edward C. Stone, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology and former director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, received the 2013 Howard Hughes Memorial Award from the Aero Club of Southern California on February 12.

Established in 1978 by the Hughes family, the award is presented annually to an aerospace leader whose accomplishments have contributed significantly to the advancement of aviation or space technology.

Previous recipients are Jack Northrop, Jimmy Doolittle, Pat Hyland, Bob Six, Kelly Johnson, Chuck Yeager, Ed Heinemann, Barry Goldwater Sr., Pete Conrad, Allen Paulson, Si Ramo, Jack Real, Ben Rich, Clifton Moore, Lee Atwood, Harry Wetzel, Bobbi Trout, Tom Jones, Allen Puckett, Paul B. MacCready, John Brizendine, Willis Hawkins, Sam Iacobellis, Kent Kresa, Neil Armstrong, Frank Robinson, Burt Rutan, Eileen Collins, James Albaugh, Ron Sugar, Bob Hoover, Fred Smith, Clay Lacy and Steven Udvar-Hazy.

Atlanta Aero Club Luncheons & Epps Award Presentation

Guest Kalyn Alkhoutoff and AAC Board member Amy Hudnall

Todd Simmons, executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer support for Cirrus Aircraft, was the featured guest speaker at the regular meeting on March 20. 

 

Also, The Atlanta Aero Club is pleased to recognize the contributions to the Aviation Industry with the Epps Award. The award will be presented to Mr. Derrick Dennis, founder and President of ATP Flight Schools.  ATP is the largest Flight School in the USA with 37 separate training locations and more than 200 aircraft in its fleet.  Mr. Pat Epps presented the award to Mr. Dennis at the March 20th Atlanta Aero Club Luncheon.

 

The AAC meetings are open to all members and guests. To RSVP please visit the website at: www.atlantaaeroclub.org.

 

  

Wichita Aero Club Announces Dean Humphrey Scholarship and Presents WAC Trophy

       

The Wichita Aero Club (WAC) was founded with a commitment to foster and promote aviation education. That dedication includes the support of aviation-related training and career development, and offering scholarships and financial assistance to aviation-related institutions and students.

 

WAC has created its second scholarship: the Dean Humphrey Scholarship is in honor of the former Cessna public relations chief and is for students who aspire to a career in aviation. The Aero Club's other scholarship, named for former General Aviation Manufacturers Association President and International Civil Aviation Organization Ambassador Edward W. Stimpson, also provides financial assistance to college students who have declared a major or established a career path for a broad range of disciplines within the aerospace industry. "The Wichita Aero Club Dean Humphrey Scholarship will not only honor Dean's memory but is designed to support students who wish to follow his example into communications, administrative or other non-technical roles in aviation-related organizations," said Dave Franson, president of the Wichita Aero Club. "Dean set the standard by which communicators in our industry were measured and it's very gratifying to be able to honor his memory in this way."

 

The WAC Education Committee will work with the Wichita Community Foundation to create the application and disseminate information on this award during the next few months. The first winner will be announced at the annual NBAA Convention in October. Both scholarships provide $2,000 to recipients.

 

The WAC honored Cessna Chairman Emeritus Russ Meyer with the Wichita Aero Club Trophy at the club's annual gala on Jan. 25. Meyer's extraordinary 40-year career and accomplishments reflect the commitment he has made not only to Cessna Aircraft Company and the aviation industry, but also to Wichita, the state of Kansas and to the numerous causes and organizations he has served and continues to serve.

 

Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association, presented the award to Meyer and spoke of the impact he has made on business aviation legislation, his peers and his community. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran also spoke about Meyer's leadership in the passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA) in 1994, his long-term advocacy for the industry as a three-time chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and on Meyer's service on aviation commissions under Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

 

Meyer, a pilot with more than 14,000 hours, is a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame and has received numerous national awards, including the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy and the Collier Trophy (twice, once jointly with Cessna). In his acceptance speech, Meyer noted that he sees a positive outlook for the light aircraft segment and believes demand will continue for efficient and versatile air transportation. He noted that significant advances have been made in technology, local and state governments are supportive of the industry in Wichita and the workforce here is committed to providing the excellent service needed for long-term growth in the GA industry. "I promise you this," Meyer concluded, "if I were 25 years old today, I'd pursue a career in this industry in a heartbeat."

 

  

Aero Club of New England Announces Godfrey L. Cabbot Award Recipient and Hosts Icebreaker Event

       

The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) will present the prestigious Godfre L. Cabot Award to Richard VanGrunsven, Founder & CEO of Van's Aircraft, on Friday, June 6, 2014. The award will be presented to Mr. VanGrunsven for his unique achievement in aviation for changing homebuilding into a significant segment of general aviation. The RV series aircraft, which he developed, are an extremely successful line of experimental, kit built aircraft. More than 8,500 RV aircraft have been built and flown. 

Capt Robert "Barney" Rubel (left) with Joe Passafiume (right), Vice President of ACLONE

ACONE also hosted an Icebreaker Event where Captain Robert "Barne" Rubel, USN (Ret), was the guest speaker. The topic was: how the Navy transitioned from propeller driven aircraft to jets following WWII. Professor Rubel is currently Dean of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Prior to assuming this position, he was Chairman of the Wargaming Department of the Naval War College.