Living Legends of Aviation

Last updated

Living Legends of Aviation
Founder Jerry Lips
Type 501(c)(3) nonprofit
PurposeRecognition of Aviation and Aerospace Achievements
Membership
c. 128
Executive Director
Jerry Lips (2016)
Parent organization
Kiddie Hawk Air Academy
Website livinglegendsofaviation.org

The Living Legends of Aviation is an organization of remarkable people of extraordinary accomplishment in aviation and aerospace including: entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, engineers, astronauts, record breakers, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots. The Living Legends meet yearly in North America at The Beverly and in Europe every-other-year at the Scalaria Resort at a 15th century castle on the Wolfgangsee near Salzburg, Austria. Inductees and Awards are selected by the Living Legends of Aviation and by committees within the organization. These most prestigious awards are produced by and benefit the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501(c)(3). [1]

Contents

The 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, honoring the best in aviation and aerospace for 2022–2023, were held on January 19, 2024, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where they have been held annually since 2007.

History

Jerry Lips, publisher of Airport Journals, came up with the idea of the Living Legends of Aviation at the time of the death of Michael Chowdry (founder of Atlas Air). [2] Airport Journals had been collecting and publishing biographies of various aviation personalities and Jerry regretted not having captured Chowdry's history. He began to compile a list of individuals that had made major contributions in the field of aviation, and had those people suggest more names until 70 were collected. These were the biographies that were to be recorded while the individuals were still "living". The list has grown over the years to its present number of 128. As Legends pass on, they are replaced by new inductees, selected by their fellow Legends.

Jerry Lips founded the Living Legends of Aviation in 2003 with the charter of celebrating the second century of aerospace. In 2008, Kiddie Hawk Air Academy acquired the rights to the organization and annual awards show from previous owner Airport Journals.

Inductees

Past inductees

Event

Beginning in 2003, an awards show has been organized each year to bring together the Living Legend members for a variety of events. The awards are presented at a prestigious live ceremony, most commonly in mid January following the relevant calendar year.

In 2003, the first Living Legends of Aviation Awards were presented at a banquet dinner hosted by Airport Journals at the Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. To avoid any weather related issues, in 2006 the venue was moved to Southern California and held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles. Since 2007 the Awards have been presented at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. [4]

In 2018 the inaugural Living Legends of Aviation - Europe event was held on July 26, 2018 at the Scalaria hotel & resort in Salzkammergut, Austria. [5]

In 2021 the awards show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

List of winners

[6]

Kenn Ricci Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award
YearWinner
2003 Charles Gates
2004 Clay Lacy
2005 Steven Udvar-Hazy
2006 Al Ueltschi
2007 James D. Raisbeck
2008 Sir Richard Branson
2009 Joe Clark
2010 Delford Smith
2011J Robert Duncan
2012 David Neeleman
2013 Frederick Smith
2014 Herb Kelleher
2016 Kenn Ricci
2017 Robert Bigelow
2018 Jeff Bezos
2019 Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond
2019S. Harry Robertson
2021Craig Sincock
2021Alexandre Couvelaire
2022Daniel Drohan
2023Laurans Mendelson
Eren Ozmen Entrepreneur of the Year Award
YearWinner
2003George F (Rick) Adam
2004Joe Clark
2005Vern Raburn
2006 Dale & Alan Klapmeier
2007 Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
2008 Linden Blue
2009 Elon Musk
2010 Lynn Tilton
2011 Eren & Fatih Ozmen
2012John Uczekaj
2015 Thomas Flohr
2017Tyson Weihs & Jason Miller
2018 Ivo Boscarol
2019 Kenny Dichter
2021 Jared Isaacman
2021Daniel Wiegand
2022 Tim Ellis
2023Kyle Clark
Bob Hoover Freedom of Flight Award
YearWinner
2006 Bob Hoover
2007 Forrest Bird & George McGovern
2008 Emily Howell Warner & Zoe Dell Nutter
2009 Kermit Weeks
2010 Doolittle Raiders & Sam Johnson
2011 Burt Rutan
2012 Neil Armstrong & Eugene Cernan
2013 Patrick Brady
2016 Clay Lacy
2018Walter Eichhorn
2023Lance Toland
Official Ambassador of Aviation Award
YearWinner
2007 John Travolta
Aviation Industry Leader of the Year Award
YearWinner
2007Pete Bunce
2008Ed Bolen
2009Preston Henne
2010Mark Van Tine
2014 Michimasa Fujino
2016 Phebe Novakovic
2018Brian Barents
2021 Marc Parent
2021Bin Chen
Legends Aviation Inventor Award
YearWinner
2008Si Robin
Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award
YearWinner
2008 Harrison Ford
2009Jeffrey Puckett
2010Pat Epps
2011Richard Sugden
2012Greg Anderson
2013Marilyn Richwine & Rhonda Fullerton
2014Mark Baker
2015Scott Terry
2016Peter Paul Luce
2017 Jim Inhofe
2018 Sean Tucker
Steven F. Udvar Hazy Award
YearWinner
2017 Gen. Jack Dailey
Heritage Patriot Award
YearWinner
2008 William Anders
Legends Top Flyer Award
YearWinner
2008Paul "Max" Moga
Aviation Mentor Award
YearWinner
2009 Kurt Russell
Aviation Inspiration and Patriotism Award
YearWinner
2009 Tom Cruise
2010 Sean Tucker
2011 Morgan Freeman
2012 David Ellison
2014 Angelina Jolie
2015 Miles O'Brien
2016 Mark & Scott Kelly
2018Jim Payne
2022 William Shatner
Legends Wings of Hope Award
YearWinner
2017Frank Franke
Out–Of-This-World Landing & Takeoff Award
YearWinner
2009 Buzz Aldrin
Cool Captain Award
YearWinner
2010 James Lovell
Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award
YearWinner
2010 Frank D. Robinson
Aircraft of Legend Award
YearWinner
2011 Boeing 787 Dreamteam
Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award
YearWinner
2012Roy Morgan
2013Jack Erickson
2014Elling Halvorson
2015William "Bill" Chiles
2016Steven Hickok
2017Mike Silva
2019Sergei Sikorsky
2021Lon & Brenda Halvorson
2022Max Lyons
2023 Lauren Sánchez
Lifetime Aviation Industry Leader Award
YearWinner
2012 James Albaugh
2013 Bruce N. Whitman
2015Ray Conner
2017David Joyce
2018Jean Rosanvallon
2022Mike Silvestro
2023Mark Burns
Jeff Bezos Freedom Wings Award
YearWinner
2018 Jeff Bezos
2019 Capt. James Lovell
Doolittle Raiders Special Induction Award
YearWinner
2015 Dick Cole & David Thatcher [7]
Kiddie Hawk Children's Award
YearWinner
2015 Col. Gail Halvorsen
Dream Chaser Award
YearWinner
2018 Eren & Fatih Ozmen
World’s Safest, Longest Continuous Operating Airline Award
YearWinner
2018 Leigh Clifford
Legends Wings of Help Award
YearWinner
2018 Stefan Aust
2019Claus & Gunnar Heinemann
2019Thomas Schrade
2021Bernd Breiter
Changing Lives With Aviation Award
YearWinner
2018 Dick DeVos
Legends Technology Award
YearWinner
2018 Bertrand Piccard
Technology Innovation Award
YearWinner
2019Robert Machtlinger & Hu Huazhi
Stratospheric Explorer Award
YearWinner
2019 Alan Eustace
Aerospace Inspiration Award
YearWinner
2021 Oliver Daemen
Barron Hilton Aviation Inspiration Award
YearWinner
2021 Zara Rutherford
2022 Mack Rutherford
Dr. Sam B Williams Technology Award
YearWinner
2023 Linden Blue

See also

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References

  1. "About".
  2. "Read My Lips". December 2008.
  3. "Legends".
  4. Schapiro, Steve (March 2015). "Harrison Ford honors AOPA". AOPA Pilot: 27.
  5. Living Legends of Aviation Europe https://www.legendseu.com
  6. "Living Legends of Aviation | Honorees". Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  7. "Missoula Doolittle Raider Thatcher to join Living Legends of Aviation".