Following the welcome by NAA CEO & President, Amy Spowart, Andrew Broom, Chief Revenue Officer at National Business Aviation Association presented the Public Benefit Flying Awards. Created in partnership with the Air Care Alliance (ACA), a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations, the NAA’s Public Benefit Flying Awards recognizes individual volunteers and volunteer organizations who utilize aviation for humanitarian actions.

David Brubaker

2023 Distinguished Volunteer Award

David is a retired USAF Brigadier General with 3,000+ flight hours, Brubaker is helping to build the next generation of Public Benefit Flying pilots through STEM Flights, an organization mentoring youth and encouraging them to pursue STEM careers.

Jim Hesseman

2023 Outstanding Achievement in Advancement of Public Benefit Flying

With over 20 years of service, Jim has dedicated himself to organizations like Angel Flight West and Dreams and Wings and currently serves as President of the Air Care Alliance Board. Hesseman works tirelessly to build awareness of volunteer flights.

Mercy Medical Angels

2024 Outstanding Achievement in Advancement of Public Benefit Flying

Gib Godwin, David Linton, and JV Venable represented Mercy Medical Angels. With 50+ years of service, MMA has provided critical medical transport, completing over 35,000 patient trips annually.

John Langford, NAA Board of Director and Founder & CEO of Electra.aero presented the FAI Frank Ehling Diploma. The FAI Frank Ehling Diploma is donated by the Academy of Model Aeronautics and honors Frank V Ehling whose simple models designs have been used successfully on three continents. This award is given annually to an individual or outstanding accomplishement, by an organisation or individual, in connextion with the promotion of aviation through the use of flying models.

Arthur H. "Trip" Barber

FAI Frank Ehling Diploma

Active for more than fifty years, Trip achieved many successes and medals on international level, having several individual and team medals in spacemodelling. Barber leads the Safety in spacemodelling working group, where under his guidance new improved safety rules were included into the Sporting Code.

For 70 years, the Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswoman of Aviation award recognizes outstanding living Americans who, by their efforts over an extended period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics and have reflected credit upon America and themselves. In 2023 and 2024, 9 individuals received this prestigious recognition: Greg Feith, Ron Fogleman, Hoot Gibson, Trish Gilbert, Wilson Leach, Greg Principato, Bob Stangarone, James Viola, and Bobbi Wells.

Greg Feith for his lifetime achievements as an aviation safety expert, champion of best practices, and advocacy elevating aviation safety awareness and training for the next generation

Ron Fogleman for his exceptional service to the nation and his unwavering commitment to excellence, the advancement of aviation, both in military and civil domains.

Hoot Gibson for his lifelong passion, devotion and service in the fields of aviation and aeronautics and global outreach to all age groups to promote the awe-inspiring art and science of flight.

Trish Gilbert for being an aviation trailblazer in safety and labor advocacy, who has shaped global aviation policies while championing the advancement of women in the industry.

Wilson Leach for his extraordinary dedication to serving aviation for more than half a century and perseverance in nurturing AIN from a small publishing company into an industry leader.

Greg Principato for his lifelong advocacy and passion for aviation policy, and the resulting benefits to general aviation, for our nation’s airports, and preserving our past.

Bob Stangarone for nearly five decades of skilled leadership as a communicator, strategic thinker, journalist, and chronicler of aviation history.

James Viola for his lifetime achievements as an aviator, commander, safety professional, aeronautical industry leader, and champion leader.

Bobbi Wells for her pioneering impact on aviation safety, continued commitment to elevating others through dedicated mentorship, and addressing the future workforce by addressing culture.

2023 Press Release

2024 Press Release

Following dinner, Ron Fogleman presented the Katherine & Marjorie Stinson Trophy. Since 1997, the Stinson trophy recognizes a living person for an outstanding and enduring contribution to the role of women in the fields of aviation, aeronautics, space, or related sciences.

Irene Trowell-Harris

2023 Stinson Trophy

Irene was selected for a career distinguished by groundbreaking achievements and lasting impact on aviation. In 1963, Trowell-Harris joined the U.S. Air National Guard as a First Lieutenant. A year later, she became a flight nurse, rapidly rising in the ranks to become an instructor, examiner, and then chief nurse. In 1993, she attained the rank of Major General in the Air National Guard, the first African American woman to achieve that rank. Her dedication to the well-being and empowerment of women veterans is a testament to her selflessness and commitment. She became the primary advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for programs, legislation, and issues related to women veterans. 

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Rebecca Lutte, NAA Board of Director and Chair of Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical, presented the Frank G. Brewer Trophy. Established in 1943, the Brewer Trophy is awarded to an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

Glendon Fraser

2024 Brewer Trophy

Fraser, who immigrated to the U.S. as a youth, has dedicated his life to fostering career pathways in the aviation industry. Building on his experience gained as a U.S. Air National Guard Officer and United Airlines Senior Captain, Fraser seeks to bring youth to aviation through impactful programming. Significant achievements of Fraser include the formation of the Trowell-Harris Chapter of the national Tuskegee Airmen organization, for which he served as Acting President for 25 years, and the creation of the Lt. Lee Archer Jr. Youth Flying Program, an aviation ground school for middle and high school students that offers three hours of classroom instruction once a week. Fraser recently launched the RedTail Flight Academy, which focuses on training minority flight students for future airline employment.

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Erin Miller, Veteran advocate and 2021 Whitman Trophy recipient, presented the Bruce Whitman Trophy. The Whitman Trophy is awarded annually to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation or aerospace in the United States, and who by working with museums and other institutions have promoted an appreciation by students and the broader public of the sacrifices and legacy of members of the military service.

James Schenck

2024 Whitman Trophy

Schenck is honored for his dedication to commemorating, celebrating, and advocating for the impact and heritage of America’s military veterans and his willingness to promote and support the next generation of aviators. Since becoming PenFed’s CEO in 2014, Schenck has supported veterans by donating up to 2% of the organization’s net income annually to over 200 military charities and raising over $55 million for veteran causes through the PenFed Foundation to include major gifts to the Air and Space Forces Association, Mitchell Institute, Military Women’s Memorial, American Heritage Museum and many other groups that champion and honor the military community. PenFed sponsored the first graduating class of the Red Tail Flight Academy, training the next generation of pilots to carry on the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. 

Press Release

The final award presented of the evening was the Clarence H. Mackay Trophy. Clarence H. Mackay commissioned the Mackay Army Aviation Cup in 1911 to recognize the “most meritorious flight” of the year in military aviation. Today, the U.S. Air Force and the NAA continue to present the trophy.

Leda Chong, NAA Executive Committee Member and VP at Gulfstream Aerospace, introduced General David Allvin, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.

Pedro 11

2023 Mackay Trophy

The CSAF selected the crews of Pedro 11 Flight as the recipients of the prestigious recognition for distinguishing themselves as aircrew members at Baledogle Military Airfield in Somalia on September 7, 2023. “While on Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) alert in East Africa, Pedro 11 Flight received a casualty evacuation request for two civilian children with life-sustaining injuries resulting from incidental fire,” said General Allvin. “Despite encountering several flight control malfunctions shortly after takeoff, Pedro 11 Flight continued with the mission, demonstrating unwavering commitment.” He continued, “Throughout the mission, they overcame their still malfunctioning flight control systems and performed air refueling en route to the surgical facility. During this harrowing journey, the crew provided 45 minutes of ventilation and chest compressions for the patients while flying through a violent storm, covering 50 nautical miles under a 100-foot ceiling and half-mile visibility. Their efforts ultimately enabled the safe delivery of both patients to damage control surgery, saving the life of one child.”