posted 04-28-2005 07:22 PM               

When the late Harry B. Combs, a 1996 Enshrinee into the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF), pledged $1.2 million to fund the Harry Combs Research Center and the Harry Combs Resource Lab at the NAHF, his vision was that this evolving facility would be liberally used. To encourage the Center’s growth, he founded the NAHF Combs Award, an annual competition created to recognize and reward the efforts of researchers and preservationists with a $20,000 cash award.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame was founded in 1962 in Dayton, Ohio, and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964, with its primary objective to collect and preserve the history of America’s outstanding aviation pioneers. Forty years later its mission has expanded to include inspiring and motivating future generations to appreciate and perpetuate America's air and space ingenuity. To date, 182 air and space pioneers have been enshrined and their histories preserved.

The Combs Award will be presented to an individual or organization that has completed a project advancing the promotion and preservation of America's air and space heritage, with special emphasis on these individual pioneers who defined America's aerospace horizons.

Harry Combs' generous gift enabled the NAHF to create the Harry Combs Research Center, the Combs Enshrinee Resource Lab and a myriad of supporting elements such as a full-color quarterly membership magazine, a compelling new web site, the digitization of over 10,000 enshrinee documents and images, the framework for comprehensive education programming, and much more.

"It is fitting that the emphasis of this research award be on individual pioneers, versus hardware or event-oriented research because, after all, the National Aviation Hall of Fame honors people," said Ron Kaplan, NAHF Executive Director. "Mr. Combs understood that it is the depth and complexity of the human mind that leads to innovation and advancement. Everything starts with an individual striving to make a difference. We intend that the research project that receives the Combs Award will emphasize that all-important people element of America's air and space heritage."

The Third Annual Combs Award will be presented at the 2005 National Business Aviation Association's 58th Annual Meeting and Convention in New Orleans November 15-17.

Combs Award applications will be available from the NAHF and must be submitted between May 1, 2005 and August 1, 2005. The applicants should understand the NAHF's role in promoting American air and space pioneers and their achievements. A blue-ribbon review board will select the winning recipient based on the Hall of Fame's historical role in promoting aviation history through individual initiative and achievement.

All applications will be reviewed by the Combs Award Review Board and will be evaluated on timeliness, creativity/innovation, promotional potential, value to the NAHF and its mission, potential for long-term impact, and historical accuracy/quality of research.

A recipient will be selected by September 1 and will be notified no later than Sept. 10, 2005. The winner/acceptor and a guest will be invited to attend the Combs Award presentation with all travel expenses paid for by the NAHF. Projects eligible for consideration include, but are not limited to: film/video, book, research paper, internet/web site, artwork/illustration, and restoration/exhibit development. In the event that submitted projects do not fulfill the NAHF criteria, the review board has the option of soliciting nominations. If no projects meet the NAHF's objectives the award money will be rolled over into the next selection year when multiple awards may be given.

Eligible projects must be complete, or 90 percent complete, within the 18 months preceding the award submission request. Applicants must complete the appropriate paperwork. Ownership of the winning project is retained by the applicant, who must agree beforehand to share research, materials and/or completed project copies with the NAHF for education and promotion. The NAHF will have the right to use the winner's name, likeness and project description to promote the award and the NAHF's mission and vision. Projects must focus on American air and space achievements and pioneers.