On June 15, NAA announced that United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Joel W. Bier and Lieutenant Colonel Leif C. Nordhagen, the aircrew of Hawg 53 flight, were named as the recipients of the 2020 Mackay Trophy. The Mackay Trophy was first presented by Clarence Mackay in 1912 and was later deeded to the NAA. 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.” As outlined in the United States Air Force nomination, the crew of Hawg 53 were deployed from their home station of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a two-ship formation of A10Cs, assigned to the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. On January 5, 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Bier and Lieutenant Colonel Nordhagen were tasked to support a troops in contact situation where the Afghan Combat Outpost was under heavy attack from Taliban forces. As the only airborne response available in Afghanistan, Hawg 53 battled significant weather, mountainous terrain, dislocated controllers, and a determined enemy to halt the attack and save the outpost from being overrun, ultimately saving the lives of 30 Afghan soldiers. NAA looks forward to presenting Lieutenant Colonel Bier and Lieutenant Colonel Nordhagen with the Mackay Trophy on a future date to be determined.

The winners of the 2021 International Young Artist Contest have been announced by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). FAI sponsors the annual contest to inspire youth to reflect on the importance of aviation, and express their ideas through art. Contest submissions are grouped into three separate age categories for judging, allowing students ranging from 6-17 years old to compete. The 2021 theme, "A Friendlier World with Air Sports,” encouraged students to create artwork that captures a friendlier world that comes from people meeting and sharing their love of sport aviation. Three U.S. students have been selected as winners in this year’s contest: