One of the most exciting times of the year for NAA is the annual selection for the Robert J. Collier Trophy. The first major step of the selection process, the deadline to submit a nomination for the 2020 Collier Trophy, is just around the corner. This year, because the January 31 deadline falls over a weekend, the nomination period will be extended until midnight on Monday, February 1. In addition, several updates have been made to the process to accommodate for a virtual selection for the 2020 Collier Trophy. Please review the newly updated guidelines on the NAA website before submitting a nomination and forward any questions to Stephanie Griffith, Director of Awards, Events, & Membership at awards-events@naa.aero.

NAA is pleased to announce our upcoming webinar with guest speaker Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group, on Wednesday, February 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The year 2020 brought many unprecedented challenges for the aviation industry. Richard will provide his latest insights on the road to recovery and the market forecast for 2021 and beyond. NAA would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for this webinar, Safran USA and FlightSafety International. Other organizations supporting this event include: Aerojet Rocketdyne, GE Aviation, Gulfstream, Lockheed Martin, NATCA, Northrop Grumman, Rolls-Royce North America, and Raytheon Technologies. We hope that you can join us for this insightful conversation. Register today!

On Friday, January 29 at 1:00 p.m. ET, NAA President, Greg Principato, and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., will present the 2019 Mackay Trophy to the crew of Hawg 71 flight in a virtual ceremony. The Mackay Trophy was first presented by Clarence Mackay in 1912 and was later deeded to the National Aeronautic Association. Administered by the United States Air Force and NAA, the trophy is awarded for the "…most meritorious flight of the year by an Air Force person, persons, or organization.” More information about the Mackay Trophy and the crew of Hawg 71 flight can be viewed in the press release announcing the award. If you would like to join tomorrow's virtual presentation, please click here.

The Aero Club of Southern California has announced that Dick Rutan will be awarded the annual Howard Hughes Memorial Award. The award, which was established in 1978, honors exceptional leaders who have advanced the fields of aviation or aerospace technology. Previous recipients include Jimmy Dolittle (1979), Chuck Yeager (1983), Neil Armstrong (2003), Elon Musk (2014), Jim Lovell (2015), and Captain "Sully" Sullenberger (2019). A date for the virtual presentation ceremony is to be announced and additional details will be communicated shortly.

Lastly, NAA would like to take a moment to honor one of our most beloved members, Eugene Deatrick, who flew west on December 30, 2020 at the age of 96. Deatrick was a retired Air Force colonel, former test pilot, past president of the National Aviation Club, recipient of the 1999 Henderson Trophy, and an NAA Distinguished Statesman of Aviation. While serving in Vietnam as the commanding officer of the 1st Air Commando Squadron, Deatrick located and initiated the rescue of Navy Lt. Dieter Dengler who had escaped from a Laotian prison camp weeks before. The escape and rescue were recounted in movies and literature. During his career, Deatrick flew more than 50 different types of aircraft and accumulated more than 12,000 hours of flying. Deatrick will be greatly missed by NAA and all of those who were lucky enough to know him.