Named Executive Of The Year

Chelton Flight Systems' President Gordon Pratt has been awarded 2004 Aerospace and Defense Executive of the Year by independent industry analyst and market research firm Frost & Sullivan. Frost & Sullivan tracks over 50 industry sectors and, every year, recognizes outstanding achievements across a group of sectors. Industries analyzed this year included Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Biometrics, Chemicals, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Electronics and Semiconductors, Process Control, and Measurement and Test. At the annual awards ceremony, held in Miami, awards were presented for Executive of the Year, Product of the Year, Company of the Year, and Technology of the Year.

Based in Boise, Idaho, Chelton Flight Systems makes flight displays, guidance systems, and control technologies. Pratt co-founded Sierra Flight Systems with Rick Price in 1997 and the company was acquired by Chelton, a UK aerospace and defense conglomerate. Chelton Flight Systems developed and gained FAA certification of the world's only synthetic vision flight display system, a revolutionary technology that enables pilots to see through foul weather and darkness to make every flight as easy and safe as one on a sunny day. They also pioneered the concept of "highway in the sky" in which a pilot uses a computer screen to guide his airplane through an imaginary aerial tunnel from takeoff to touchdown, rather than relying on complicated dials and pointers.

Frost & Sullivan's Executive of the Year award is bestowed each year to the executive who demonstrates leadership excellence within his or her industry. Gains in market share, decision making, successful risk taking, customer service, innovation, marketing strategies, industry impact, the competitive environment, employee policies, and community participation are among the many metrics used for evaluation. To choose the award recipient, Frost & Sullivan tracks market developments and measurements in the industry and then uses interviews, extensive primary and secondary research, and considers market share, growth, and market penetration in relation to corporate organizational and strategic business actions in the selection process.

"I've always valued the opinions of Frost analysts and I'm flattered by their recognition," Pratt said, "but the honor really goes to our employees for making it happen."

Pratt also thanked the FAA. "Our technology will save lives and it could have never been completed and certified without the vision, support, and tireless efforts of the FAA and its Capstone Program." Capstone is an FAA initiative to rapidly certify new advances in aviation safety.

Thirty-five other companies received awards this year including IBM, Bayer, Agilent Technology, ConAgra Foods, GE, and Honeywell.

FMI: www.frost.com, www.cheltonflightsystems.com