posted 12-17-2008 03:32 PM               

National Aviation Hall of Fame reveals names of "Class of 2009" inductees and 2009 Spirit of Flight Award recipient

Four legends of flight, Apollo Crews to be formally honored in Dayton this July

Tonight the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) will reveal the names of the four individuals elected for enshrinement this July along with the recipient of its 2009 Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award. The announcement is a special presentation at a dinner celebrating the 105th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers first powered flight.

The Class of 2009 is: Eileen Collins, USAF test pilot and first female Shuttle commander; Russell Meyer, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of Cessna Aircraft Company; the late James M. Stewart, WWII bomber pilot, award winning actor and airpower advocate; the late Edward H. White, II, West Point grad, USAF test pilot, and Gemini and Apollo astronaut. Collins and Meyer will personally accept their honors. The daughter of Stewart and son and daughter of White will attend, accepting enshrinement on behalf of their late fathers at the July 18th dinner and ceremony in Dayton, Ohio.

The 2009 Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award recipient will be the Apollo Astronaut Crews, honored for their role in enabling man to walk on the lunar surface and return safely to earth. The award, bestowed annually upon a group or organization in recognition of its achievement in advancing aviation, will be presented at the NAHF President's Reception & Dinner in Dayton, Friday, July 17th - three days before the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. All surviving Apollo astronauts have been invited to accept the honor in person and attend the enshrinement ceremony the following night, which includes the induction of their fellow crewman, late Ed White, II, who lost his life in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in 1967.

The NAHF Learning Center and the adjacent National Museum of the United States Air Force will serve as the venue for the annual first flight anniversary dinner and announcement. Tonight's event is hosted by Dayton-based Aviation Trail, Inc. (ATI), a non-profit organization promoting over forty regional partnering aviation sites and venues.

Each year, the NAHF Board of Nominations, a voting body comprised of over 130 air and space professionals nationwide, selects the handful of individuals to be recognized for their aviation achievements through enshrinement into the NAHF. Making the announcement tonight will be Chairman of the NAHF Board of Trustees, retired Air Force Colonel Garald K. "Robbie" Robinson.

Often referred to as "America's Oscar Night of Aviation," the NAHF enshrinement celebration in July will attract hundreds of industry leaders, government and defense officials, former enshrinees, and aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

The formal enshrinement ceremony will take place in Dayton - The Birthplace of Aviation - on Saturday, July 18, 2009, where the four will join the 199 legends of flight previously so honored by the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Advance reservations for the NAHF's 48th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony on July 18, 2009, may be placed by calling 937-256-0944 ext.10. Seats are $150 per person and a portion of each seat purchased is deductible as allowed by law. For more information visit the NAHF website or call 937-256-0944 ext.10.

The NAHF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in Dayton in 1962 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964. Its mission is to honor America's outstanding air and space pioneers, which it does through a 17,000 square-foot public Learning Center featuring interactive exhibits, a youth education program, its annual enshrinement ceremony, and other public outreach programs.

posted 06-20-2009 08:00 PM               

National Aviation Hall of Fame prepares to fete Apollo Astronauts on 40th Anniversary of lunar landing mission

Twelve Apollo crewmen, NASA leadership featured at 2009 Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award ceremony in Dayton July 17th

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) annually presents the Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award to a group or organization in recognition for its exceptional contributions to the advancement of flight. The Apollo Crews will receive the 2009 award in part for their exemplary courage and dedication in successfully carrying out America's ambitious goal of landing men on the lunar surface and returning them safely to Earth.

The Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award is among the featured presentations at the NAHF President's Reception & Dinner, held in NAHF Learning Center and the adjacent National Museum of the United States Air Force on Friday, July 17th, 2009. The event coincides with the very weekend of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. A capacity crowd is expected for this public National Aviation Hall of Fame celebration, including hundreds of industry leaders, government officials and aerospace enthusiasts from worldwide.

Twelve of the surviving Apollo astronauts will be onstage to receive the award from the NAHF Chairman of the Board and the NAHF President. The NAHF has invited the NASA Administrator-to-be to accept and speak on behalf of the Apollo Crews. The Apollo astronauts will then participate onstage in a panel discussion of their moon mission experiences, moderated by former ABC News "Good Morning America" host, David Hartman.

Apollo Crew members expected to attend are:

• Buzz Aldrin
  
• Walter Cunningham
  
• Jim Lovell
  
• Frank Borman
  
• Charlie Duke
  
• Jim McDivitt
  
• Vance Brand
  
• Joe Engle
  
• Harrison Schmitt
  
• Gene Cernan
  
• Fred Haise
  
• Tom Stafford

Many will additionally attend the 48th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony held the following night, July 18, at the Dayton Convention Center. Among the four individuals being enshrined into the Hall of Fame is the late Ed White, II, the first American to walk space during Gemini IV in 1965, and who died in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967 along with astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee. Presenting White for enshrinement will be 1979 Enshrinee and the first man to walk on the lunar surface, astronaut Neil Armstrong. White's son and daughter will accept on behalf of the family.

White's 2009 enshrinement classmates include astronaut Eileen Collins, the first female Shuttle Commander, presented by astronaut Charles Precourt; former Cessna CEO and Chairman, Russell Meyer, Jr., presented by Arnold Palmer, and the late Jimmy Stewart, presented by comedian Rich Little, with Carson Greene, Jr., of the Jimmy Stewart Museum, accepting on behalf of the Stewart Family. Serving as Master-of-Ceremonies for what is widely known as the "Oscar Night of Aviation" will be TV host, former news anchor, and author, Nick Clooney.

"It will be our privilege to honor the Apollo Crews with this recognition on such a significant date," said Ron Kaplan, Executive Director of the NAHF. "We'll be vividly reminded that what these true pioneers accomplished four decades ago transcended borders, cultures, and politics, their collective achievements continuing to stand as an inspiration to all man. It's not surprising that the Hall of Fame and the Birthplace of Aviation thus also look forward to hosting guests from as far as Germany, the U.K. and the Czech Republic for this special occasion."

Advance reservations are required for either event and may be placed by calling 937-256-0944 ext.10. Deadline is July 2nd. Seats at the President's Reception & Dinner on July 17th are $300 or $150 per person. Seats at the 48th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony on July 18th are $150 per person. A portion of each seat purchased is deductible as allowed by law. For more information visit the NAHF website at nationalaviation.org or call 937-256-0944 ext. 10.

The NAHF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in Dayton in 1962 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964. Its mission is to honor America's outstanding air and space pioneers, which it does through a 17,000 square-foot public Learning Center featuring interactive exhibits, a youth education program, an international aviation film festival, its annual enshrinement ceremonies, and other public outreach programs.

posted 07-19-2009 10:56 AM               

The dinner was another excellent time. 70 tables all with a great view of the stage and a large screen on each side of the stage provided for close up views of those on stage as the night progressed. Several guests were introduced and a few awards were presented before hand then dinner was served. After dinner the normal presentation is "hanger stories" but the had a special version with 12 Apollo Astronauts on one stage moderated by David Hartman. Cunningham, McDivitt, Stafford, Armstrong, Aldrin, Lovell, Haise, Duke, Engle, Schmitt, Cernan and Brand - they reviewed each mission in sequence from the tragedy of Apollo 1 to the final Apollo flight of ASTP.

Best story was from Gene Cernan who clarified that the Apollo 10 Mission's main purpose was to paint the white stripe on the Moon to help guide Armstrong to his landing point. It was almost 2 hours that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I wish I could remember it all to share with all of you. Another bonus of the dinners like this is that you never know who you will be sitting with - I had the fortunate pleasure of sitting with two employees of NASA from JSC. They were the most fascinating couple that I have ever met - basically she is in charge of the Moon Rocks and all of the related testing of geologic materials for NASA! He is involved with the department that keeps track of the satellites and space junk. What great stories they shared with us at dinner. After the meal I had the honor of meeting Ed White III and his sister and he was kind enough to pose for a photo with me. My friend that attended with me wanted to get a photo with Neil Amrstrong and it appeared that everyone else in attendance wanted one as well. I have now seen first hand why Neil wants to be a private person and out of the public spotlight - first he could barely eat his meal with the constant barrage of people surrounding his table and taking pictures of and with him. This was a formal dinner and it seems no one knows how to be polite anymore. My friend and I waited until after the panel discussion was over to see if we could politely get a photo with him. I was amazed at how quickly he was swarmed by people seeking a moment of his time, they would not let him finish a conversation with other astronauts, as we politely waited, fathers with their kids pushed in front of us, a news crew from Brazil jumped in, a little old lady kept trying to hand him gifts, as we stood a respectable few feet away they kept coming. Fortunately the State Police Plain Clothes Officer showed up to escort him out - but the good news was that Neil turned to my friend, asked him if he was ready for a photo, I took the picture and they then whisked Neil out of the building. We have seen impolite people before pushing themselves on the astronauts but this was a new level of absurdity. At least I know that patience and politeness paid off in the end.

The panel discussion was the highlight and I doubt that we will ever see 12 Apollo astronauts on a stage talking about their missions again. I wish you all could have been there with us. But my friend from Switzerland and his friend from Germany flew in just to attend both events and they were not disappointed. On the way out I had the opportunity to introduce them to Tom Henricks. He was very pleasant as usual and even travels to Switzerland on business so they instantly had something in common.

posted 07-19-2009 11:16 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by BMacKinnon:
I had the fortunate pleasure of sitting with two employees of NASA from JSC. They were the most fascinating couple that I have ever met - basically she is in charge of the Moon Rocks and all of the related testing of geologic materials for NASA! He is involved with the department that keeps track of the satellites and space junk.

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posted 07-20-2009 11:35 AM               

It was an experience just walking around during the reception and bumping into shuttle astronauts and various notable people. Kathy Sullivan was also there.

Jim Lovell gave a talk at a breakfast, Saturday morning, at the Aviation Hall of Fame. He talked about all the little things that led up to the failure of the tank during the Apollo 13 mission. The dropping of the tank at the factory, not properly being modified, the failure at burning off the oxygen in the tank after a countdown test, etc. Very interesting. Eileen Collins and Dick Rutan also attended the breakfast but did not speak.