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Advancing the art, sport, and science of aviation since 1905 | | From the President's Chair: Wright Trophy Recipient Highlight | | |
Dear NAA Members,
As we reach mid-October, we focus on the extraordinary individuals who dedicate their lives to advancing flight, elevating safety, and inspiring future generations. Aviation has always been defined by tenacity and passion, and this month we celebrate leadership that leaves an unforgettable mark on our industry.
I am thrilled to highlight our 2026 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy recipient, Robert Sumwalt.
Throughout his distinguished career, from the flight deck to his transformative tenure as Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, and now as Executive Director of the Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Robert has been an unwavering champion for aviation safety. Beyond his long list of achievements, Robert is a wonderful human being: genuinely warm, kind, and a joy to collaborate with.
His dedication to professional excellence, transparent investigation, and practical safety reform has saved countless lives and strengthened the foundation of global aviation. Honoring Robert with our Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy reminds us of the NAA's vision of defining the excellence that powers the next century of flight. As the 78th recipient of this honor, his legacy stands as an enduring model and inspiration for generations to come.
Robert will formally receive the Wright Trophy on Thursday, December 17, 2026, at the Aero Club of Washington’s 78th Annual Wright Memorial Dinner at the Westin DC Downtown. Learn more about attending this remarkable evening here.
As we prepare for our Fall Awards Ceremony on November 5th and look forward to celebrating Robert in December, thank you for your continued support and commitment to our shared passion.
Amy
Amy Spowart
President and CEO
National Aeronautic Association
| | LAST CALL for the NAA Fall Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Aviation | | |
Time is running out to secure your seat!
Join us Thursday, November 5, 2026, in Washington, DC,
as we honor this year’s distinguished award recipients.
Ticket registration is closing soon, and seats are extremely limited.
Be in the room as we celebrate inspirational leadership across flight and spaceflight! From former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. and union leader Sara Nelson, to general aviation icon Tom Haines, record-setter Kate Cooper-Jensen, women in aviation pioneer Kathryn Hughes, aerospace innovator Blue Origin, and the dedicated heroes of Public Benefit Flying, this is an evening of aerospace excellence you won't want to miss.
See the full list of awards and recipients here.
| | Next Level Pilot: Tales of a Record Setting Flight | |
What does it take to beat a transcontinental speed record by 5.6%
while saving 1,500 pounds of fuel?
A little luck, a lot of data, and constant micro-decisions in the flight deck.
Welcome to Part 1 of our three-part series detailing a remarkable commercial flight from Newark to San Francisco currently under official review by the NAA.
(Submitted by Captain Chris, a commercial airline pilot from a major U.S. carrier)
I was scheduled to fly a daytime transcontinental leg in early October of this year. We called for pushback from the gate in Newark, NJ, a few minutes before our scheduled departure. However, the company ramp controller held us at the gate for over thirty minutes because two other aircraft had pushed ahead of us in the alley, and both had to return to their respective gates due to mechanical issues (one had to be towed). This automatically gave me a valid reason to increase our planned cost index to achieve as close to an “on time” arrival as possible. The “cost index” is a number our flight planning system produces that considers several variables, including delay costs, cost per seat mile, fuel prices, etc., to minimize overall operating costs. The cost index translates to the optimal economic speed the flight management computer calculates.
After entering the increased cost index value in the flight management computer (FMC), I realized that I had an outside chance to beat my own Newark, NJ to San Francisco, CA transcontinental “speed over a commercial airline route” record I had set in the summer of 2025, after several unsuccessful attempts to break the previous record held for many years by another airline captain.
→ With 2,500 miles ahead and air traffic control holding all the cards, could a 30-minute delay turn into a record-breaking flight?
To be continued in Part 2...
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Did You Know...Commercial Speed Records ✈️
Commercial airline captains regularly establish national and world speed records across official airline routes. Sanctioned by the NAA, these official records use takeoff and landing times, along with the great-circle distance between the departure and destination points, to calculate the record speed.
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Learn about record-setting here
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Visit our record FAQs here
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Visit our Commercial Records FAQs here
| | | | Thank you to our 2026 Fall Awards Sponsors | |
Before the FAA regulated the skies, early aviation relied on the Aero Club of America, the direct precursor to the NAA, to set standards, verify achievements, and issue credentials to American private pilots.
When formal pilot licensing began in 1911, the ACA issued its first five certificates alphabetically to five aviation giants.
- Glenn Curtiss
- Frank Lahm
- Louis Paulhan
- Orville Wright
- Wilbur Wright
For everyone who followed, earning an ACA credential required demonstrating precise airmanship in front of official observers:
- Figure-Eight Turns: Executing two distinct series around designated markers.
- Altitude Control: Reaching and maintaining specified test altitudes.
- The Precision Dead-Stick Landing: Cutting the engine mid-air and gliding to a full stop within a tight target radius.
The standards were unyielding. In August 1911, journalist Harriet Quimby aced her figure-eights but missed her first landing attempt when her aircraft rolled 40 feet beyond the marker limit. Undeterred, she returned the next morning, landed squarely on target, and earned License No. 37, becoming America's first certified female pilot!
Today, the NAA continues our 120-year legacy of documenting human achievement and preserving aviation’s greatest milestones.
| | NAA Presents Official World Records to the Artemis II Crew | |
NAA Vice-Chair Sam Magill and President & CEO Amy Spowart recently joined FAI President Greg Principato and leadership from the Aero Club of Canada in Houston to present official world records to the Artemis II crew: Commander Reid Wiseman; Pilot Victor Glover; Mission Specialist Christina Koch; and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen.
As the U.S. representative to the FAI, the NAA verified and sanctioned the historic spaceflight achievements accomplished aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity. These officially ratified records now join the permanent archives of human aerospace history.
Click here to read more.
| | FYI: You Don't Have to Be an Astronaut to Set an NAA Record! | | |
NAA records aren't just for astronauts, test pilots, and high-performance jets. You can set records in everything from balloons and gliders to parachutes, model aircraft, ultralights, and small single-engine airplanes. In fact, NAA's searchable database includes more than 8,200 records.
Think you have a record in you? You just might! Learn more here.
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Are you a member with a record attempt in the works?
Did you or a team member achieve a major milestone?
We want to hear about it!
Use the guide below to submit your update for our next newsletter.
Submit Your News Here!
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What we’re looking for:
- Record Rumors: Are you prepping a bird for a speed or altitude attempt? Give us the "behind-the-scenes" on your prep.
- Workplace or Organization Milestones: Did you or a friend or colleague just hit an anniversary or take part in a successful record attempt, airsport event, or other exciting program?
- Innovator Spotlights: Know a member who just hit a career high or launched a new aerospace project?
- Photo of the Month: Send us your best high-res shot of NAA members in action.
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The National Aeronautic Association doesn’t just record history—we celebrate the people making it. Use this form to nominate an individual or organization that embodies the “art, sport, and science of aviation."
Nominations and recognition are member benefits. Join today and prepare to share your hero soon!
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The National Aeronautic Association doesn’t just record history -
we celebrate the people making it.
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