NAA Announces Five Finalists for 2024 Collier Trophy

On February 18, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced the five aeronautic innovations competing for the 2024 Collier Trophy. The award is presented annually to what the organization sees as the year’s greatest aerospace development.

The Collier Trophy has gone out every year since 1911 to “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.”

Among the five contenders is the Blue Condor project, which has taken an unconventional approach to the future of aviation by mounting a hydrogen-powered jet engine onto a glider. The experiment aims to understand the climate impact of hydrogen combustion and, in theory, pave the way for zero-carbon flight. Meanwhile, Gulfstream’s G700 has made the cut for pushing boundaries in luxury and sustainability, being the first business jet certified to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel.

NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory have secured a nomination for their Parker Solar Probe, a spacecraft that has entered the Sun’s corona and sent back data from a region no other probe has dared to go. In more down-to-earth—but no less futuristic—news, Skyryse One has been nominated for developing a helicopter that hovers with a simple “swipe of a finger”. The aircraft’s automation system could redefine piloting by making helicopters accessible to just about anyone who can operate a smartphone.

Rounding out the finalists is the X-37B, a somewhat secretive spaceplane developed by Boeing and the U.S. Space Force. The unmanned vehicle has spent years in orbit testing new technologies, including a new aerobraking maneuver that allows it to switch between orbital regimes efficiently.

The winner will be selected on March 20, 2025, and announced five days later. The Collier Trophy, a 525-pound sculpture permanently housed at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, will be awarded to the victorious team on June 12, 2025.

FMI: www.naa.aero