posted 12-21-2009 02:11 PM               

National Aviation Hall of Fame announces Class of 2010

Tonight the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) will announce the names of the four individuals selected for enshrinement into the Class of 2010. Also being revealed will be the recipient of its 2010 Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award. Alan Hoeweler, NAHF president, will formally make the announcement at Aviation Trail's celebration of the 106th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first controlled powered flight. The event is being held at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and adjacent NAHF Learning Center.

The Class of 2010 includes: Captain Alan Bean - astronaut and lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, man's second lunar landing. Warren G. Grimes - father of aircraft lighting and inventor of aircraft navigation instruments. Clay Lacy - a 50,000-hour pilot, business aviation icon and videographer for many Hollywood pictures including Top Gun and The Right Stuff. Noel Wien - Arctic flight expert who founded Wien Alaska Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the U.S., and who has been listed as one of the ten greatest pilots of all time.

The 2010 Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award recipient will be the 8,000-member-company National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the world's foremost organization in representing the interests of business aviation. The award is bestowed annually upon a group or organization in recognition of its achievement in advancing aviation.

The NAHF's formal enshrinement ceremony, often referred to as "America's Oscar Night of Aviation", where the four will join the 203 previous inductees, is scheduled to be held Saturday, July 17, 2010, at the Dayton Convention Center. The Spirit of Flight Award will be bestowed at the NAHF's President's Reception taking place at the National Museum of the United States Air Force the previous night - Friday, July 16, 2010.

Visit the NAHF website or call 937-256-0944 ext. 10 to obtain advanced reservations for the 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony and the President's Reception. The National Aviation Hall of Fame 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.

Aviation Trail, Inc. (ATI), the host for this evening's events, is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to honor the Birthplace of Aviation through identifying and promoting more than forty aviation heritage sites and/or partnering organizations. The ATI Parachute Museum is located at the Dayton Aviation National Historical Park's West Interpretative Center.

posted 05-21-2010 07:38 AM               

2010 Enshrinement presenters to include Apollo astronauts, air show legend

Presenters for the National Aviation Hall of Fame's 2010 Enshrinement ceremony include two men who have flown to the moon; a legendary air show performer, and one of Ohio's political native sons.

On July 17, 2010, the National Aviation Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2010 in black-tie ceremonies at the Dayton Convention Center.

"This is the Oscar night of aviation," said NAHF Enshrinement Director Ron Kaplan. "Along with the air and space pioneers being enshrined, we have some giants in aviation history lined up to present each honoree."

Presenting the 2010 Enshrinees are:

• Navy Capt. Richard "Dick" Gordon, ret., command module pilot of the 1969 Apollo 12 mission, will present 2010 Enshrinee Navy Capt. Alan Bean, ret., lunar module pilot for Apollo 12, commander of Skylab 3, and a noted artist.

• Bob Hoover, the legendary pilot, air show performer and 1988 Hall of Fame Enshrinee, will introduce 2010 Enshrinee Clay Lacy, a 50,000-plus hour pilot, business aviation icon and aerial cinematographer for such Hollywood productions as Top Gun and The Right Stuff.

• Clarence "Bud" Brown, businessman, former congressman and gubernatorial candidate in Ohio, will present 2010 Enshrinee Warren Grimes, the "father of aircraft lighting" and noted aviation innovator. Co-accepting on behalf of Grimes, who passed away in 1975, will be his daughter Gloria Grimes Creviston, and his grandson, William G. Creviston.

• USAF Maj. Gen. William A. Anders, ret., lunar module pilot for Apollo 8, the former CEO of General Dynamics and a 2004 Hall of Fame Enshrinee, will introduce 2010 Enshrinee Noel Wien, an Arctic flight expert who founded Wien Alaska Airlines, one of the earliest airlines in the United States and who has been listed as one of the 10 greatest pilots of all time. Co-accepting on behalf of Wien, who passed away in 1977, will be his sons Noel Merrill Wien and Richard A. Wien.

In addition to the 2010 Enshrinment ceremonies, the 2010 Milton Caniff "Spirit of Flight" Award will be presented to the 8,000-member-company National Business Aviation Association, the world's foremost organization in representing the interests of business aviation. The award is given each year to a group or organization in recognition of its achievement in advancing aviation.

The "Spirit of Flight Award" will be bestowed at the NAHF's President's Reception & Dinner at the Hall of Fame's Learning Center and the National Museum of the United States Air Force on July 16, 2010.

Call 937-256-0944 ext. 10 to obtain advance reservations for the President's Reception & Dinner or the 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony.

posted 06-29-2010 07:07 AM               

Miles O'Brien to emcee National Aviation Hall of Fame 2010 Enshrinement ceremonies

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) announced that newscaster, anchor, reporter and pilot Miles O'Brien, will serve as the Master-of-Ceremonies for its 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony in Dayton, Ohio, on July 17, 2010.

O'Brien will lead the prestigious induction ceremony, where four more American pioneers of flight are to be honored for their contributions to aviation. They will join the roster of 203 men and women previously so honored by the NAHF.

An experienced licensed pilot and aircraft owner, he has distinguished himself covering aviation and space in addition to major global news events around the world. In early 2002, after years if persistent negotiation, O'Brien secured a deal with NASA that would have sent him on a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The deal was scuttled after the Columbia accident.

"O'Brien brings a deep understanding of the role aviation and space has played in both the history and business of our country," said Ron Kaplan, enshrinement director for the NAHF. "As someone who is at home in the cockpit as he is in front of the camera, Miles O'Brien will be a great emcee for the 'Oscar Night of Aviation.'"

O'Brien is the president his own production company based in New York City that serves corporate, government and non-profit educational organizations with a focus on science, technology, the environment and aerospace. O'Brien spent nearly 17 years as the chief science environment and aerospace correspondent at CNN (1992-2008). Concurrently, he also anchored several CNN news programs including CNN Saturday and Sunday Morning, Live From..., TalkBack Live and American Morning.