One of the many ways that NAA has pivoted this year in order to keep our members and the aerospace community engaged, is by creating a webinar series in partnership with the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF). On Thursday, October 22, NAA and the NAHF will host our fifth webinar, Talented Innovators, Fantastic Aircraft: Creating the Future of Aerospace. Join panelists Dick Rutan, NAHF Enshrinee & NAA Collier Trophy Recipient; Amanda Simpson, VP, Science & Technology, Airbus Americas; and Blake Scholl, Founder & CEO, Boom Aerospace, for an exciting discussion about the future of aerospace innovation. We will explore the next generation of aviation by looking at past successes and how we can learn from them, and examine how to enhance aircraft for aerospace achievements to come. How is this all going to happen and who will lead the way? Register for the webinar today and submit questions for our expert panelists to [email protected].

On October 8, NAA and the Air Care Alliance announced that two aviation volunteers, Scott Gloyna and Charlie Tillett, were named as the recipients of the 2020 Public Benefit Flying Awards in the Distinguished Volunteer Pilot category. This series of awards was created to honor volunteer pilots, other volunteers, and organizations engaged with flying to help others, as well as those supporting such work. Scott Gloyna serves as Angel Flight South Central's Northwest Texas Wing Leader, where he engages and mentors pilots in public benefit flying. Charlie Tillett joined Angel Flight Northeast in 2001 and has been instrumental in support of their mission to provide free flights for children and adults traveling to medical treatment. Both Scott and Charlie have gone above and beyond to serve their organizations during the global pandemic and we are extremely grateful for their selfless efforts.

NAA is now accepting nominations through November 30 for the Stinson Trophy. The trophy was created in 1997 to honor the accomplishments of two sisters, Katherine and Marjorie Stinson, who were among the first 11 American women to be certified as pilots by the Aero Club of America (the predecessor of NAA). The award recognizes "a living person for an outstanding and enduring contribution to the role of women in the field of aviation, aeronautics, space, or related sciences." Past recipients of the trophy include Patty Wagstaff, Captain Julie Clark, Major General Catherine Chilton, and 2019 recipient Shelly Simi. More information about the Stinson Trophy, including the nomination guidelines, are available on the NAA website.

In records news, NAA President & CEO, Greg Principato, presented record certificates to Henry R. Perot Jr., Chairman, Hillwood, and Lance Hill, Chief Pilot, Hill Air Corporation on October 8 at Love Field in Dallas. The national and world records were set during a series of flights made in October 2019 and January 2020 with the best performance being a flight from Fort Worth, TX to Farnborough, UK: 627 mph in a Gulfstream G650ER.