Feted For Contributions to the Advancement of General Aviation

Eclipse Aviation's president and CEO, Vern Raburn, has received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Piper General Aviation Award for 2004. The award was presented to Raburn during at an AIAA conference in Chicago on Tuesday.

"The Piper General Aviation Award is presented for outstanding contributions leading to the advancement of general aviation," said AIAA Honors and Awards chairman Skip Fletcher. "Through his vision and leadership, Mr. Raburn has revolutionized personal air transportation, creating the opportunity for low-cost, on-demand, point-to-point travel that will open up tremendous new opportunities for consumers, businesses and aircraft manufacturers in the next century of flight." 

Previous winners of this award have included James Coyne, president of the National Air Transportation Association; Dan Goldin, former NASA Administrator; and Dr. Bruce J. Holmes, associate director for Airspace & Vehicle Systems, NASA Langley Research Center.

 "It is a great honor to be recognized for Eclipse's contributions to aviation, and to share this award with the respected aviation leaders that have received it in the past," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "I am deeply committed to making general aviation relevant again, and believe that innovation is the key to the future growth and success of this industry. The response we have received to the Eclipse 500 jet is a testament to the untapped promise of general aviation."

FMI: www.aiaa.org, www.eclipseaviation.com