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NASA/JPL Dawn Mission Team Awarded the 2015 Robert J. Collier Trophy

Dr. Dava Newman (left), Dr. Charles Elachi (left-center), and Dr. Marc Rayman (right) accept the 2015 Robert J. Collier Trophy

Members of the aerospace community gathered together on June 9, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia, to award the Robert J. Collier Trophy to the NASA/JPL Dawn Mission Team in recognition of the "... extraordinary achievements of orbiting and exploring protoplanet Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, and advancing the nation's technological capabilities in pioneering new frontiers in space travel."
 
Administered by the National Aeronautic Association and displayed at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, the Collier Trophy is awarded annually "...for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America" in the preceding year.  At seven and a half feet tall and over 500 pounds, the trophy represents a timeline of air and space achievements marking major events in the history of flight. 

Throughout the course of the evening, guests viewed scale models of the Dawn spacecraft and ion thruster, as well as a variety of display artifacts including 3-D models of surface features on Vesta and Ceres. 

The highlight of the event was the 101st presentation of the Collier Trophy to NASA/JPL. NAA Chairman, Jim Albaugh highlighted the success of the Dawn Mission and praised the NASA/JPL team for their dedication and passion.  Dr. Dava Newman, Deputy Administrator, NASA; Dr. Charles Elachi, Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and Dr. Marc Rayman, Dawn Mission Director & Chief Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory accepted the trophy on behalf of the Dawn Mission Team. 
 
Congratulations to the NASA/JPL Dawn Mission Team for your extraordinary accomplishment.
 
For more photos from the Collier Dinner, please click here.

The Dawn Mission Team


Jonathan Gaffney, NAA President & CEO, Announces Departure
NAA President & CEO, Jonathan Gaffney

Jonathan Gaffney, President & CEO of the National Aeronautic Association, announced at the NAA Summer Board of Directors Meeting on June 10th that he will resign from his position effective September 30, 2016. 

"The entire aviation and aerospace industry are extremely grateful for the tremendous amount of skill, work, and time that Jonathan put into NAA over the last nine years," said Jim Albaugh, Chairman of NAA. "He has restored a very important organization in our industry and he will be missed by all of aerospace." 

Having started at NAA in 2007, he is one of the longest-tenured Chief Executives in the history of the 111-year old organization. Under his leadership, NAA has recovered from near-default to seven consecutive years of sound financial results, and, in the process, greatly emphasized and enhanced its' three primary responsibilities: Aviation Awards, Aviation Records, and the support of Air Sports in America. In this process he revived and strengthened NAA's relationships with the numerous affiliated organizations across the nation with which it works - Corporations, Air Sport Organizations, Associations, Aero Clubs, and many others. 

"It has been a great honor to lead NAA for the last nine years," Gaffney said. "I have met and worked with people across the United States and around the world who embody the very best of the aviation and aerospace industry. It has been a remarkable professional and personal experience for me, and I will never forget it." 


Summer Awards Ceremony Recognizes Aviation Record Holders

On June 15, 2015, NAA hosted the 2nd Annual Summer Awards Ceremony, which honors the Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2015, as well as other notable record achievements.

The ceremony was held at the Sheraton Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia with expansive views overlooking the United States Air Force Memorial and Washington DC.  Distinguished guests included Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Joe Kittinger, and Congressman Steve Pearce.

William Harrelson, Scott Curtis, Melody Thorne, Airman 1st Class Dalton Decker, Senior Airman Justin Thomas, Staff Sergeant Colby Plank, Master Sargent Matt Thomas, Alan Coombs, Dr. Jeremy Kinney (on behalf of Jon Sharp), and Paul Salmon accepted certificates commemorating their Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2015.

Pilots John Craparo, Dayton Dabs, Judith Rice, Paul Salmon, and Joseph Weinberg, were presented with certificates of record for their record flights.

To view the press release for the Most Memorable Aviation Records of 2015, please click here.  Photos from the Summer Awards Ceremony can be found by clicking here.

From left to right: Jonathan Gaffney, NAA President & CEO;
Skip Ringo, NAA Vice-Chairman; Melody Thorne, Gulfstream; Scott Curtis, Gulfstream; Art Greenfield, NAA Director of Contest & Records


Air Sport Organization News
 
Robert Armstrong to be Inducted into the IAC Hall of Fame
Pilot Robert Armstrong

Pilot Robert Armstrong has been selected by the International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Hall of Fame committee and the Board of Directors to be inducted into the IAC Hall of Fame for 2016.  The official ceremony will take place in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on November 9, 2016.  View the press release.

 
National Parachuting Championship Names 2016 U.S. Parachute Team

The U.S. Parachute Association held its third National Skydiving Championships of the year on May 27-31 at the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales, naming the 2016 national champions and the U.S. Parachute Team in Style & Accuracy and Canopy Formation. The U.S. Team will compete at the World Parachuting Championships this September at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. The world championships return to the United States for the first time in more than two decades.

In accuracy competition, jumpers exit an airplane more than 3,000 feet in the air and then steer their parachutes and try to land on a dime-sized dot on a landing tuffet. For style, an individual jumper performs a pre-determined series of loops and spins in freefall as quickly as possible. This year's U.S. Style & Accuracy Team includes six men, four women and three junior competitors: James Hayhurst, Drew Riffle, Jimmy Drummond, Matt O'Gwynn, Kevin Thompson and Edin Alisa for the men; Cheryl Stearns, Elisa Tennyson, Nancy LaRiviere and Mery Rose for the women; and junior competitors Alexandra Deets, Kristopher Hayhurst and Nate Volk, all from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

In canopy formation skydiving, teams of two or four skydivers deploy their parachutes immediately after jumping from the plane and build formations as quickly as possible while holding onto each other's canopies. A team videographer flies alongside to capture the action. All events saw the reigning national champions reclaim their titles, as well as slots on the U.S. Team-Clean Air in 2-way and 4-way sequential and Elsinore Too Wrapped Up in 4-way rotations. Second-place 2-way team Leading Edge also earned slots on the U.S. Team.

Still remaining this year are the USPA National Championships of Wingsuit Flying at Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Rochelle, Illinois,on August 20-26 and the USPA National Championships of Formation Skydiving and Artistic Events at Skydive Arizona in Eloy on October 20-29. More information can be found on the USPA website.

National canopy formation champion Clean Air flies to gold in the 4-way sequential event. Photo by Brian Festi.


Aero Club News
 
Clay Lacy Receives Godfrey L. Cabot Award
Clay Lacy is presented with the Godfrey L. Cabot Award

The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) presented the prestigious Godfrey L. Cabot Award to Mr. Clay Lacy, Founder of Clay Lacy Aviation, on June 10th at the Harvard Club in Boston, Massachusetts.  The award recognizes Mr. Lacy's lifetime achievements in many facets of aviation, including aerial cinematography, test pilot, air race champion and holder of 29 world speed records.

In partnership with Continental Camera Systems, he revolutionized the air to air cinematography with Astrovision, a unique relay lens system with periscopes mounted on top and bottom of the plane's fuselage.  He is best known for his films Top Gun, The Great Santini, Armageddon, and Behind Enemy Lines.

The Cabot Award, named to commemorate Dr. Godfrey L. Cabot (now deceased), is presented each year by ACONE to an individual or team who has made unique and unparalleled contributions to encourage and advance aviation and space flight.

The Aero Club of New England, the oldest aero club in the Americas, was organized on January 2, 1902, nearly two full years before the Wright brothers made their landmark flight of December 17, 1903 at Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina.


Atlanta Aero Club News
 
Steve Champness, President of the Atlanta Aero, receives the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Chairman's Award.
The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Chairman's Award was awarded to the Atlanta Aero Club's president, Steve Champness. The event took place on April 16th at the Delta Flight Museum located in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Atlanta Aero Club (AAC) luncheon held on June 16th at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, Georgia hosted guest speaker, Major General Joseph R. "Joe" Vazquez, the National Commander of Civil Air Patrol (CAP). The General's primary duty is leading CAP's 60,000 volunteers in fulfillment of the nonprofit organization's three congressionally chartered missions of Emergency Services, Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education, as well as its steadily increasing role in America's Homeland Security.

As CAP's National Commander, he serves as a Major General (two- star), the highest ranking CAP Officer. He also serves as CAP's Chief Executive Officer and as an Advisor to the CAP Board of Governors, the organization's governing body. In addition, he leads the CAP Command Council, whose members serve as his advisors, and the CAP Senior Advisory Group.

The next AAC luncheon will be held at the Capital City Club on August 18th at 11:30 a.m. with guest speaker Robert L. Sumwalt.  Sumwalt was appointed as the 37th Member of the National Transportation Safety Board in August 2006, whereupon President George W. Bush designated him as Vice Chairman of the Board for a two-year term. In November 2011, President Barack Obama reappointed Member Sumwalt to an additional five-year term as Board Member.

Since joining the Board, Member Sumwalt has been a fierce advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation, including teen driver safety, impaired driving, distractions in transportation, and several rail safety initiatives.

AAC lunch meetings are open to members and guests.  For more information and to RSVP for the upcoming events, please visit the Atlanta Aero Club website.


Accident Wise 2016 a Big Success
 
The Aero Club of Northern California led its second Accident Wise event at Moffett Field on April 28th. It was attended by 270 people to make it one of the largest general aviation safety events in the country.
 
FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker discussed integrating drones into the National Airspace and the importance of ADS-B. Whitaker said about 450,000 people have registered that they own a drone, and the FAA estimates that each registrant "owns about 1.5 drones, and that each drone lasts about 1.5 flights!"

Linda Connell, director of the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting Service (ASRS), said the ASRS is a gold mine for GA safety data, with more than 1.3 million reports over the years. Recurring GA safety issues highlighted by ASRS analysts are near mid-air collisions, airspace violations, gear up landings, fuel starvation, non-towered airport incidents, preflight issues and radio communications.

Bruce Landsberg, retired president of the AOPA Foundation, said roughly 80 percent of the GA safety issues come from 20 percent of the causes. Stalls, which occur mostly in the traffic pattern, are a major factor.

Aero Club President Max Trescott discussed his research on how San Francisco Bay Area fatal accidents differ from accidents in the rest of the U.S. His review showed many accidents involving local pilots occurred outside the Bay Area. Almost every accident was in a mountainous area, and most involved night or weather as factors.

The program began with the presentation of a National Aeronautic Association Award to Jack Hocker, former FAA safety program manager at San Jose FSDO who worked for the FAA for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2010. For most of his career, he spoke at hundreds of local safety presentations.

Accident Wise speakers (from left to right): Bruce Landsberg, Mike Whitaker, Max Trescott, and Linda Connell.


Parachutist Allen Silver Talks to the Aero Club of Northern California
 
Professional parachute jumper Allen Silver talked about the Ups and Upside Downs of an Air Show Performer during a May 15th presentation cosponsored by the Aero Club of Northern California at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos.

His discussion of his 40-plus-year career as a professional skydiver and air show performer focused on his wing-walking performances.  Silver helped open the Hiller Aviation Museum on June 5, 1998 by jumping with an American Flag and handing Stanley Hiller the scissors to cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Over more than 53 years Silver has made over 3,200 jumps. He is a FAA master rigger, past chairman of Parachute Industry Association's Rigging Committee and FAA designated parachute rigger examiner. He is an instrument-rated private pilot with more than 1,900 flight hours, including 1,200 hours in a Marchetti SF-260.


Crystal Eagle Honoree George Cooper Dies at Age 99
NACA Test Pilot, George Cooper, in 1957 with a F-86.
 
Retired NASA test pilot George Cooper, who was the Aero Club of Northern California's 1990 Crystal Eagle honoree, died April 8, just weeks shy of his 100th birthday.  

During WWII, Cooper shot down four German planes. After leaving the Army he became a test pilot at NACA (later renamed NASA) at Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. He also worked as a Lockheed design engineer. In later years, he enjoyed running a family vineyard in Saratoga, CA. 


Aero Club of Washington Celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Reagan National Airport

On June 16th, the Aero Club of Washington partnered with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to celebrate the 75th
anniversary of Reagan National Airport.  The luncheon was held in the historic original terminal, with breath-taking views of aircraft taking off and landing.  

The first airline to depart the new airport in 1941 was American Airlines, and American CEO Doug Parker spoke to the group, along with FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, and the heads of the Aero Club and MWAA.  American brought in a 1941 DC-3, which was parked on the ramp right outside the event, and the crew came dressed in vintage 1941 uniforms.  A wonderful celebration!


 

Summer 2016

 

In This Issue
Dawn Mission Team Awarded the 2015 Collier Trophy
Jonathan Gaffney Announces Departure
Summer Awards Ceremony
Air Sport News
Aero Club News
Call for Nominations
Records Claimed
Contact NAA
Upcoming Events 
Fall Awards Dinner
 
Date and Location TBD
Call for Nominations
Nomination Period Closes August 31


Nomination Period Closes August 31


Brewer Trophy
Nomination Period Closes August 31


Public Benefit Flying Awards
Nomination Period Closes August 31


Harmon Trophy
Nomination Period Closes July 15

Show your support for NAA
 
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For Record Holders:
National Certificate of Record
World Deplome de Record
Record Holder Pen

Records Claimed
April 1, 2016 to
June 30, 2016
FAI Smaller   

Aeromodels 
 
Distance Goal and Return #202:  31 mi
John A. McNeil
Class F5C, Helicopter, Radio Controlled, 
Electric Motor
California Valley, CA
4/22/2016


Aeroplanes

Speed Over a 2,000 km Closed Course:  290 mph
John S. Brush
Class C-1.d, Group I (Internal Combustion)
Smith Aerostar 601P
2 Lycoming IO-540
Colorado Springs, CO
5/20/2016
 
Speed Over a Recognized Course:
 
Teterboro, NJ to Fort Lauderdale, FL:  
378.08 mph*
Glenn M. Gonzales & Peter J. Kriegler
Class C-1.e, Group III (Jet)
Honda Aircraft Company HA-420
2 GE Honda HF120
4/9/2016
 
Grand Rapids, MI to Naples, FL:  492.50 mph*
Andrew M. Heemstra & Steven S. Edmondson
Class C-1.g, Group III (Jet)
Bombardier Learjet 45XR
2 Honeywell TFE731
4/10/2016
 
Teterboro, NJ to Nice, France:  621 mph
Eric S. Parker & 
Marilyn D. Whicker
Class C-1.l, Group III (Jet)
Gulfstream G650ER
2 Rolls-Royce BR725
5/18/2016
 
Grand Rapids, MI to London, UK:  540 mph
Timothy Riddell & 
Justin J. Maas
Class C-1.i, Group III (Jet)
Gulfstream G280
2 Honeywell HTF7250G
5/20/2016
 
London, UK to Geneva, Switzerland:  354 mph
Jeremy A. Schneider & Michael T. Voechting
Class C-1.h, Group III (Jet)
Embraer Legacy 450
2 Honeywell AS907
5/22/2016
 
Shannon, Ireland to Reykjavik, Iceland:  
534 mph
John D. McLeroy
Class C-1.h, Group III (Jet)
Cessna 750 Citation X
2 Rolls-Royce Allison AE 3007
6/12/2016
 
Manama, Bahrain to Muscat, Oman:  161 mph
Debasish Banerjee
Class C-1.c, Group I (Internal Combustion)
Cessna 182
1 Continental O-470
6/22/2016
 
Houston, TX to 
Melbourne, FL:  434 mph
Shonin Casey Davis & Samuel R. Bennett
Class C-1.h, Group III (Jet)
Embraer Legacy 500
2 Honeywell AS907
6/27/2016
 
Hartford, CT to Phoenix, AZ:  462 mph
Shonin Casey Davis & Samuel R. Bennett
Class C-1.i, Group III (Jet)
Embraer Legacy 500
2 Honeywell AS907
6/30/2016


Gliders

Three Turnpoint Distance:  622 mi
Daniel Sazhin
Class D, 13.5 meter class, General
Schweizer 1-26E
Reedsville, PA
5/8/2016


Hang Gliders

Speed Over a Triangular Course of 100 km:  32 mph
Benjamin J. Herring
Class O-5, Rigid structure, aerodynamic surfaces, no fairings, no surrounding structure, General
AIR ATOS VRS
Zapata, TX
6/28/2016


Parachutes

Speed 70m:  2.120 sec
Thomas L. Dellibac
Class G-1, Competition, General
Zephyrhills, FL
4/6/2016

Vertical Formation Skydiving, Head-Up Orientation:  55 skydivers
Class G-2, Performance, General
Eloy, AZ
4/8/2016
 
Vertical Formation Skydiving, Head-Up Orientation:  72 skydivers
Class G-2, Performance, General
Eloy, AZ
4/9/2016


Rotocraft

Transcontinental Speed, West to East:  88.41 mph*
Marc B. Campbell
Class E-3.b, Group I (Piston)
AutoGyro Calidus
1 Rotax 914
4/3/2016

Transcontinental Speed, East to West:  72.55 mph*
Marc B. Campbell
Class E-3.b, Group I (Piston)
AutoGyro Calidus
1 Rotax 914
4/5/2016
 
Transcontinental Speed, Round Trip:  73.93 mph*
Marc B. Campbell
Class E-3.b, Group I (Piston)
AutoGyro Calidus
1 Rotax 914
4/5/2016

Distance Over a Closed Course Without Landing:  886 mi
Paul A. Salmon
Class E-3.b, Group I (Piston)
Magni M22
1 Rotax 914
Cape Girardeau, MO
4/28/2016

  
Except where noted by an asterisk (*), information is preliminary and subject to approval.
NAA Staff Directory
Jonathan Gaffney

President & CEO

  
  
Art Greenfield
Director,
Contest & Records
  
Stephanie Berry
Director,
Awards & Events,

 
Natasha Clark
Director,
Administration & Membership

 


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