Page 9 - Aerotech News and Review, January 22, 2021

Hoover Trophy awards ceremony to honor legends

Famed aerodynamicist Burt Rutan, to Hoover himself in 2016, Sean D. F–16 pilot and commander of the 71st
who designed Voyager, the first air- Tucker in 2017, Harrison Ford in 2018, Operations Support Squadron. Ruffin
craft to make a nonstop, non-refueled and Clay Lacy in 2019. Rutan was an- founded the nonprofit Legacy Flight
circumnavigation in 1986, and Space- nounced as the winner in 2020, but the Academy, which helps youth discover
ShipOne, which made three successful awards ceremony was postponed until their passion for aviation careers and
suborbital spaceflights in 2004, will this year because of the pandemic. hosts programs that draw upon the
be honored with the prestigious R. A. During the awards ceremony, AOPA legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
“Bob” Hoover Trophy Award. will present the inaugural Brig. Gen. AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior
Rutan has designed 49 manned air- Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Vice President Richard McSpadden will
craft, 25 of which the public can view in Award to retired Brig. Gen. Charles present the GA Safety Award to Boris
museums worldwide; 17 are still flying. McGee, a member of the Tuskegee Popov, founder of BRS Aerospace. The
“Rutan’s work and life represent the Airmen. Presentation of the award company’s whole-aircraft parachute
airmanship, leadership, and passion announced in 2020 was delayed until rescue system has saved more than 400
for aviation demonstrated by his good 2021 because of the coronavirus pan- lives. More than 35,000 systems have
friend Bob Hoover,” said the Aircraft demic. In addition to honoring McGee been installed on experimental, sport,
Owners and Pilots Association, an- with the first award, AOPA will also certified, and military aircraft. The
nouncing Rutan as the Hoover trophy present it to its second recipient, U.S. award honors those who “have deliv-
winner. The first trophy was presented Air Force Maj. Kenyatta Ruffin, an ered exceptional performance in safety
to benefit the entire general aviation
industry.” The GA Safety Award was
first presented to Dick VanGrunsven of
Van’s Aircraft in 2018, and to Tyson
Weihs and Jason Miller of ForeFlight
in 2019.
The event, which is typically lim-
ited to 200 people and takes place in
the historic Terminal A at Ronald Rea-
gan Washington National Airport in
Washington, D.C., is free and open to
everyone through the livestream. The
awards presentation will start at 8 p.m.,
EST, on Feb. 3 and will last about one
hour. You can set a reminder to watch
the livestream at https://www.youtube.
AOPA photograph by David Tulis com/c/aopalive/live.
The Hoover Trophy, center, is the centerpiece of the fifth R.A. ‘Bob’ Hoover Editor’s note: Article reprinted with
Trophy awards presented by AOPA. The virtual ceremony will be streamed permission from the Aircraft Owners Scaled Composites photograph by Michael Mills
live on Feb. 3 at 8 p.m., EST. and Pilots Association, www.aopa.org. Aviation pioneer Burt Rutan

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