First-Ever Recipients of ANN's Highest Awards

For "Contributions to Aviation," reads the inscription of ANN's ANNIE awards, and six -- the first six ever -- were announced at Oshkosh, on Friday afternoon.

In a short ceremony attended by just a few select folks, ANN wanted to publicly recognize people and organizations that have furthered the cause of aviation, through service, through innovation, through determination, through plain ol' brilliance. These awards represent our gratitude for these contributions.

The awardees are:

Bob Hoover

Its no surprise that the folks at ANN, especially ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell (who literally wrote the book that detailed Bob's extraordinary mistreatment by, and eventual victory over, the FAA) think highly of the man that Chuck Yeager called "the best pilot I ever saw." But as great an aviator as Bob is, we also know him well as a wholly decent man and an inspiring industry figurehead. So... the very first ANNie could go to NO ONE but the legendary Bob Hoover... our friend and an amazing flyer we all can look to with pride.

Control Vision

We have rarely seen a company so unsatisfied with its product line... as evidenced by the fact that every few weeks (or so it seems) they come up with a way to improve it... and a way that is usually retrofittable quite easily and affordably by previous owners! The immense capabilities of the little AnywhereMap have grown to include extraordinary weather data output, aircraft management, performance criteria and now, ATTITUDE data. We've never seen anything like it, especially in such a portable and affordable package.

XCOR

One of the most-innovative uses ever made of a Long-EZ, the XCOR rocket-powered airplane is a proof-of-concept machine only; but what a concept! Jeff Greason has been trying to convince people that rocket power is a viable idea; so far, through his flights, which started just a year ago, he's started to make converts. A flight demonstration at Oshkosh by pilot Dick Rutan showed that the rocket could, indeed, be used in a go-around.

The Arlington Fly-In

We think it may be one of the friendliest places on Earth, and it's certainly the most delightful Fly-In we attend every year. The award was accepted by Fly-In guru Barbara Tolbert, though the Arlington Fly-In is a labor of love that is the result of hundreds of volunteers and staffers. It delights and enlightens tens of thousands of pilots and aero-wannabes every year, and is easily one of the most pro-aviation events in the nation. For five days, Arlington is simply the center of the aviation universe -- and delightfully so. If you ever want to see how an aviation event should be run, Arlington is THE place to start.

Carter Copters

Another innovator, Jay Carter, has made a lot of converts, as he has demonstrated that rotorcrafts' old bugaboo, the Mu1 barrier, may indeed be breakable. Through a series of out-of-the-box thoughts, careful engineering, good recruitment, and determination, Jay Carter has shown that even the honest approach can work. His ANNIE was presented separately, as, during the official ceremony, the Carter Copter was being wheeled out for its first-ever public flight demonstration. That demonstration, by the way, converted thousands...

Howard Fried

A legend among those who have had to pass an FAA Flight Test; aviation writer, FAA Pilot Examiner, columnist and author Howard Fried gave thousands of checkrides over the course of many decades in an aviation career that affected tens of thousands of flyers worldwide. Better yet, his books, columns and lectures kept many pilots out of harm's way and educated us all with the rare insight of an expert flyer who has truly "been there and done that." Yeah, he's a sweet but cranky ol' bastard who has also fought the good fight against the FAA and other ills... and put his money/reputation where his mouth is many times... all in all proving that Howard is one of the reasons that aviation is as great as it is.