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Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, chairman of the X Prize Foundation, will be the keynote speaker during Opening Ceremonies at the Aircraft Electronics Association’s (AEA) 48th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Dallas, Texas April 27-30, 2005. X Prize Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting the formation of a space-tourism industry through a $10 million prize, has been in the news a lot lately, with Burt Rutan and the Scaled Composites team recently winning the top prize. Diamandis, who founded the X Prize and co-founded Space Adventures, also serves as the Chairman of Zero Gravity Corp., a commercial space company developing private, FAA-certified parabolic flight utilizing Boeing 727-200 aircraft.

Having received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Diamandis has conducted research in a number of fields, including molecular genetics, space medicine, and launch vehicle design. His numerous industry awards include MIT's Kresge Award, the 1986 Space Industrialization Fellowship, the 1988 Aviation Week & Space Technology Laurel, the 1993 Space Frontier Pioneer Award, and the Russian 1995 K. E. Tsiolkovsky Award.

Over 150 exhibitors are expected at AEA’s 48th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Dallas. The show is dedicated to providing those in the avionics industry a forum to learn, network and extract valuable information to boost their business. Hundreds of avionics related products and services will be presented at informative sessions and in the expansive exhibit hall—more than 55 hours of training is available in just four days.

The Aircraft Electronics Association represents over 1,200 aviation businesses, including repair stations that specialize in maintenance, repair and installation of avionics and electronic systems in general aviation aircraft. AEA membership also includes instrument facilities, manufacturers of avionics equipment, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, and educational institutions.

FMI: www.aea.net/Convention