AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2015 - 26

PILOT BRIEFING
Sponsored by Breitling

March

THIS MONTH IN AVIATION

AWARDS

MARCH 23, 1903. The Wright brothers apply for patents
for their glider and flying machines.

MARCH 2, 1969. First flight of

MARCH 8, 1910. Madame La Baronne de Laroche is the

MARCH 20, 1999. Pilots Brian

the Concorde.

first female pilot licensed by the Aero Club of France.

Jones and Bertrand Piccard
fly the Breitling Orbiter 3
balloon nonstop around the
world.

MARCH 9, 1929. Charles Lind-

bergh flies the first direct mail
route to Mexico City from
Brownsville, Texas.
MARCH 2, 1949. A Boeing B-50A

flies around the world nonstop.
MARCH 19, 1964. Jerrie Mock
begins her flight around the
world in a Cessna 180.

WEB

MARCH 3, 2004. Steve Fossett sets speed record for

round-the-world flight in Global Flyer.

MARCH 8, 2014. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

disappears.

www.endeavorawards.org

HAI ANNOUNCES WINNERS
OF SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE
AWARDS
The Helicopter Association International
recently announced recipients of its
acclaimed Salute to Excellence Awards:
Lightspeed Aviation Excellence in Communications Award: Michael Hirschberg,
executive director of AHS International and
editor of Vertiflite.
W.A. "Dub" Blessing Award for CFI of the
Year: Simon Spencer-Bower, Wanaka Helicopters in Central Otago, New Zealand.
Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance
Award: Patrick Cox, director of product
support for Robinson Helicopter Corp.

Endeavor Awards back
for second year
Celebrating public benefit flying
B Y J U L I E S U M M E R S WA L K E R
A STAR-STUDDED EVENING celebrating the contributions of public benefit flying

was a highlight of the aviation community in 2014 and the event was so successful and inspiring, it returns this May 30. The brainchild of Hollywood producer
and GA pilot Mark Wolper, the Endeavor Awards honors the pilots and organizations that provide assistance through aviation to those in need. Last year's
recipients included pilots from the Veterans Airlift Command, Wings Flights of
Hope, and Patient Airlift Services.
The three recipients this year will be awarded $15,000; their names will be
announced prior to the event. Two Inspirational Awards will be presented to
Global Flight Relief, an organization led by Ben Affleck and Scott Terry in the East
Congo; and to Clay Lacey, an aviation legend and inspiration in aviation and film.
The Endeavor Awards take place at the California Science Center in Los
Angeles, in the room that houses the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Guests dine under
the wings of the massive spacecraft.
EMAIL julie.walker@aopa.org

26 | AOPA PILOT March 2015

MD Helicopters Law Enforcement Award:
U.S. Park Police "Eagle 1" aviation unit for its
response to the shootings at the Naval Yard
in Washington, D.C.
Airbus Helicopters Gold Hour Award:
Snohomish Co. Helicopter Rescue Team for
its response in the Washington Cascade
Mountains.
Excellence in Safety Award: Edwin McConkey, mathematician and software engineer
who developed the criteria and algorithm for
helicopter-specific instrument approaches.
Sikorsky Humanitarian Service Award:
Portuguese Air Force 751 Squadron, for its
search-and-rescue missions in a 2.3-millionsquare-mile portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
Appareo Systems Pilot of the Year Award:
Gary Dahlen, for his response to California's
King Fire.
Bell Helicopter Lifetime Achievement
Award: Lou Bartolotta
The awards were to be presented at HAI
Heli-Expo 2015 in Orlando March 2-5.
WEB

www.hai.org

http://www.endeavorawards.org http://www.hai.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2015