Nominees Named Range From The Largest Airlifter To The Human-Powered Gamera

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced last week that former Collier Trophy recipients Dick Rutan (1986), Joe Lombardo (Gulfstream – 2003), Bobby Sturgell (ADSB -- 2008), and Jeff Pino (Sikorsky Aircraft – 2010), will be among the aviation leaders who will participate in the Selection Committee for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy. In addition, NAA released the list of nominees as well as the entire Selection Committee membership.

The nominees are:

• Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• C-5M Super Galaxy
• The Gamera Human-Powered Helicopter
• Taurus G-4 Electric-Powered Aircraft

The Collier Trophy, the “Greatest Award in Aviation,” has been the benchmark of aviation and aerospace achievement for over 100 years. Awarded annually “….for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America,” it has been bestowed upon some of the most important projects, programs, individuals, and accomplishments in our nation’s history. Past winners include the crews of Apollo 11 and Apollo 8, the Mercury 7, Scott Crossfield, Elmer Sperry and Howard Hughes. Projects and programs which have been the recipient of the Collier include the B-52, the Polaris Missile, the Surveyor Moon Landing Program, the Boeing 747, the Cessna Citation, the Gulfstream V, the F-22, and the International Space Station. The 2010 Collier was awarded to the Sikorsky X2 Technology Demonstrator Team.

“We are very proud of the nominations we received for the 2011 Collier Trophy, said Walter Boyne, Chair of the NAA and Selection Committee. “Each of them – in their own way – mark significant progress in the advancement of aviation and aerospace on the planet, and we certainly welcome them to the Collier selection process.”

The Selection Committee will meet on Monday, March 12, in Arlington, Virginia, and the winner will be announced the next day, March 13, at the NAA Spring Awards Luncheon to be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. The formal presentation of the Collier Trophy will take place on May 10, 2012, at the Collier Dinner in Arlington, Virginia.

FMI: www.naa.aero