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Brewer Trophy Nominations

Nominations may be submitted to NAA between April 1 and August 31. View the nomination guidelines at NAA.AERO.

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10.17.2012  NAA Honors Aviation Careers of Service

The National Aeronautic Association has announced that it will honor well-known aviation educators Martha and John King of King Schools for significant contributions to pilot training at a ceremony Nov. 13, when the organization will also recognize the careers of five distinguished aviation statesmen. Read more: http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2012/120926naa-honors-aviation-careers-of-service.html

9.13.2011  NAA Announces Recipient of 2011 Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education

Arlington, Virginia, September 13, 2011 – The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced today that the Academy of Model Aeronautics will receive the prestigious Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education "For exemplary accomplishment and collaborative work with numerous aerospace organizations across the nation to assist students, teachers and community leaders in understanding the science, skill and beauty of flight." The Brewer Trophy is presented annually for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of the National Aeronautic Association and Chairman of the Selection Committee, said "I was very pleased with the quality of nominations we received for the Brewer Trophy, and I am particularly proud that the Academy of Model Aeronautics was named as the recipient for 2011. For 75 years they have maintained a focus on aviation education which has impacted millions of young people across the United States, and the Brewer Trophy is a great acknowledgment of their dedication and commitment to this very important cause."

The Academy of Model Aeronautics has enabled tens of thousands of teachers, community leaders, and millions of students in formal and non-formal education settings to build and fly miniature aircraft. In addition, AMA Education Committee members and volunteers have worked to support flying events for more than 150,000 students in regional, state and national competitions for the Science Olympiad and the Technology Student Association. AMA also has given more than $800,000 in scholarship awards to promote education in science, technology, engineering and math to college-bound seniors who, almost exclusively, pursue careers in engineering, technical and professional disciplines. In support of the No Child Left Behind Education Act, the AMA education staff and Committee volunteers created new activities for teachers consisting of hands-on lessons using simple flying machines to illustrate basic concepts in math and the physical sciences. To support this work, the Alcoa Foundation awarded three grants of more than $250,000 resulting in the creation of AeroLab, a dozen activities for middle school physical science and math classes. For many years, the AMA has featured these and other educational activities in workshops at regional and national science teacher conferences (NSTA).

Last year, the Academy signed a formal agreement with the Civil Air Patrol as well as the Experimental Aircraft Association to complement their Young Eagles program. Similar agreements are pending or under discussion with the FAA, the Soaring Society of America, the Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, and the Commemorative Air Force.

Members of the Brewer Trophy Selection Committee
Frank G. Brewer III, President, Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association
Dr. Klaus Dannenberg, AIAA Deputy Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer
Carolyn William, Executive Director, University Aviation Association
Dan Montplaisir, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
Debbie Gallaway

The award will be presented at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet on Monday, November 7 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.naa.aero.

6.16.2011  Space Shuttle: End of an Era

courtesy of CAP Aerospace Education News, Summer 2010

In 1981, the Space Transportation System (STS) began a career that has spanned almost 30 years of accomplishing many tasks that have enhanced the quality of life on Earth. We have watched as the brave men and women who have flown on the shuttle have given us many teachable moments” as educators. From awe-inspiring liftoffs to majestic touchdowns, we have witnessed the talent and ingenuity of our nation’s engineers, scientists, and technical workers at their best. We have been reminded of the team effort it takes to accomplish seemingly impossible missions.
View the rest of the article at www.capmembers.com.

5.10.2011  'JetMan' pulls off Grand Canyon flight — quietly

Courtesy of MSNBC: link.

4.24.2011  SpaceShipTwo makes its longest test flight yet

Pilots guide craft through 14.5-minute glide; rocket-powered tests yet to come

Virgin Galactic's privately built spaceship soared through its longest flight yet during a drop test over California's Mojave Desert on Friday April 22, 2011.

The suborbital Virgin Galactic spacecraft, called SpaceShipTwo, maneuvered through the skies over the Mojave Air and Space Port during the milestone test. The Mojave-based aerospace company Scaled Composites is overseeing construction and flight testing of SpaceShipTwo and its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane for Virgin Galactic.

Read more at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42726511/ns/technology_and_science/ .

2.27.2011  Brewer Trophy Presented on February 26, 2011

The 2010 Brewer Trophy was presented at the Annual Women in Aviation International Conference in Reno, Nevada. Lindsey Brewer, substituting for NAA's Jonathan Gaffney, made the presentation at WAI's Scholarship Awards Banquet on Saturday Night, 26 February.

10.30.2010   WAI's Dr. Peggy Chabrian to receive 2009 Brewer Trophy

NAA has announced that Dr. Peggy Chabrian, President and Founder of Women In Aviation International, will receive the prestigious Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education. The award is presented annually for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

The citation for Chabrian's award reads, "A longtime aviation enthusiast and educator, Dr. Chabrian's passionate promotion of aerospace education and careers, nationally and internationally, has touched the lives of thousands of young men and women. Many lives have been changed and careers have been built from the scholarships, mentoring, and fellowship she has made possible through Women in Aviation, International. Her determination and enthusiasm serve as a role model to all who have chosen aviation as a career."

As an aviation visionary, Chabrian conceived and implemented an outreach program for women and men involved with or interested in aerospace and aeronautics. She created a conference in 1990, held in Prescott, Arizona, which brought together 150 men and women and established a cornerstone for the organization that has evolved to become Women in Aviation, International (WAI)

Chabrian created WAI in 1994. Under her tireless guidance, ensuing annual conferences have surged in growth and popularity. As a networking center for aviation enthusiasts and vocational opportunists, the event has spotlighted and promoted countless career fields, offered educational and entertaining programs, and brought together a wide cross-section of attendees from more than 70 chapters from around the world.

By 2006, WAI reached a total of 15,000 members and the annual WAI Conference welcomed upwards of 3,000 attendees. To date, more than $6.5 million has been distributed among scholarship winners to encourage their educational achievements and advancement.

The award will be presented by NAA President and CEO Jonathan Gaffney at the WAI Conference in February 2011 in Reno, Nevada.

8.4.2010  The Future of Aviation: 3 Trends in Flight

With governments passing laws and engineers creating new technologies, aviation is undergoing some major changes indeed. Check out these three hot topics in flight for an idea of what air travel might look like in a few years. (courtesy of Smarter Technology). Full story

5.28.2010  News from FAI, The World Air Sports Federation

FAI Young Artists Contest: Report on the recent meeting of the FAI Aviation & Space Education Commission (CIEA). Presentation of the theme and rules for the 2011 FAI Young Artists Contest. Note: BTAEA conducted the USA Young Aviation Artist Contest in 2008.

Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft: Report on the recent meeting of the FAI Amateur-Built and Experimental Aircraft Commission (CIACA). Link to an interesting report on the "Public Construction" project conducted by CIACA during the World Air Games 2009.

Click here to view

4.6.2010  BTAEA Board Member Honored

Daytona Beach, Fla., Nov. 24, 2009 -- The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has honored Thomas Connolly, professor of aeronautical science and presidential endowed chair of aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with its Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award. Read the press release (pdf).

4.5.2010  New Award Recipients Information

Please visit our Award Recipients page - we added bios and photos for Edwin Link, Marilyn C. Link, John Odegard and Mary S. Feik.

3.10.2010  WWII Female Pilots Honored With Gold Medal

A long-overlooked group of women who flew military aircraft during World War II were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday. Read full story - Courtesy of National Public Radio.

3.5.2010  Southern Museum of Flight Announces the Grand Opening of the Korean War Jets Exhibit

View press release. The museum is located in Birmingham, AL.

1.12.2010  NASA's STEREO Mission

The STEREO Mission has been a tremendous asset, and this year is expected to move into a position which allows us to see magnetic activity on the whole Sun.
On January 9 at 0836z the two satellites were in position to see 87% of the Sun, with the invisible spot on the far side exactly 13%. 88% coverage (with 12% invisible) will be achieved at 0611z on February 25, 2010.

1.10.2010  NASA's ISS Timeline

Courtesy of USATODAY, here is a great animation showing how the International Space Station is being assembled.

1.8.2010  NASA's Stellar Headlines in 2009

Anyway you look at it, NASA enjoyed a very successful 2009. See slideshow at eweek.com.

1.7.2010   Book Salutes Wrights' Alabama Air School

A century ago, when flight was new and Orville and Wilbur Wright were its kings, the brothers came to Alabama from their native Ohio to transform a cotton field into the nation's first civilian flight school. View article at thesunnews.com.

12.15.2009 In Memory - Ed Stimpson

Edward W. Stimpson, a legend in the aviation industry, recently passed away in his home in Boise, Idaho. His monumental contributions to the aviation industry earned him the highest awards in aviation, including the National Aeronautic Association Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy.

Stimpson began his outstanding career as the head of Congressional Affairs for the Federal Aviation Administration under the Kennedy Administration. In 1970, he became president of the newly formed General Aviation Manufacturers Association. In that position he was instrumental in efforts that led to enactment of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994.

He later served as U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. Most recently, Stimpson served as the chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation. A champion of aviation education for more than 20 years, Stimpson served on the board of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where a residence hall and laboratory have been named after him. He is survived by his wife Dorothy.

Stimpson was awarded the Brewer Trophy in 1981.

12.11.2009 Branson Rolls Out His Tourist Spaceship

By Andy Pasztor, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

At a glitzy reception at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in the California desert, Sir Richard Branson on Monday unveiled what is intended to be the first private rocket ship to ferry tourists to the edge of space. But for now, the billionaire entrepreneur's venture appears to be moving at a slow pace.

The festivities marking the rollout of SpaceshipTwo - a 60-foot long, all-composite craft designed to take six passengers and two crew members on sub-orbital flights - stressed the thrill of experiencing weightlessness and looking out the windows at 1,000-mile vistas during a roughly two-hour ride.

Read more at wsj.com

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12.7.2009 Brewer Trophy at NAA Fall Awards Ceremony, Nov. 2, 2009

From Left:
Frank G. Brewer, III
President, Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association

Lindsey Brewer
Dept. of Geology, University of South Florida

Dr. David A. NewMyer
President, University Aviation Association

Carolyn Williamson, CAE Executive Director, University Aviation Association

About Dr. NewMyer:

On October 29, 2008, Dr. David M. Conway, director of the Aviation Sciences Institute at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), assumed the University Aviation Association’s (UAA)top elected position as president for 2008-09. As one of his first official duties, President Conway announced the election of Dr. David A. NewMyer to a one-year term as president elect.

One year later, just prior to the presentation of the Brewer Trophy to UAA, Dr. NewMyer was elected and assumed the top elected position as UAA president for the for the current 2009 term. Dr. NewMyers first "official" duty as newly elected president was to attend the NAA Fall Awards Ceremony to represent and receive the 2008 Brewer Trophy on behalf of the UAA.

8.3.2009 UAA Awarded 2008 Brewer Trophy

Arlington, Virginia, July 24, 2009 – The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced that the University Aviation Association (UAA) will receive the prestigious Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education. The award is presented annually for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States. For 60 years, UAA has served as the voice of collegiate aviation. The organization has a long record of promoting and supporting collegiate aviation programs; providing educational and professional development opportunities for the faculty and students; offering scholarship opportunities and promoting collegiate aviation through industry organizations. Throughout the aviation industry today you will find industry leaders and other professionals who graduated from many of UAA’s member schools.

The award will be presented at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet on Monday, November 2 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.naa.aero.

The BTAEA extends our congratulations to our friends at UAA.

1.19.2009 Award Citations

The citations accompanying all awards have been added to our Award Recipients page.

11.18.2008 Trophy Replica at Udvar-Hazy

The Docents of the National Air and Space Museum, recipient of the 2005 Brewer Trophy, have placed their award replica on display at The NASM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. If you are near Dulles Airport in northern Virginia please visit the museum that opened in December 2003. Click on this link: Udvar-Hazy official site.

9.25.2008 Elder Statesman Award

Arlington, Virginia, September 25, 2008 – The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced the recipients of this year’s Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Awards. Phil Boyer, Frank Brewer, Jr., Oliver R. Crawford and John T. Race will be honored at the NAA Fall Awards Banquet on Monday, November 3 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

Frank G. Brewer, Jr. (bio) is being honored for "a lifetime of statesmanship and dedication and contributions of significant value to aeronautics." Brewer has a long history in aviation. His family wished to honor the achievements of those involved in educating young people about aviation. The Brewer Award was first presented in 1943 and has become "the nation's highest award for a lifetime achievement of enduring value in the field of aviation education".

The Elder Statesman awards were established in 1954 to honor outstanding Americans, who, by their efforts over a period of years, have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics, and have reflected credit upon America and themselves. Previous winners have included Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Scott Crossfield and Chuck Yeager.

7.20.2008 2008 United States Young Aviation Artist Contest Winners

WASHINGTON, DC – The Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association (BTAEA), in partnership with the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA), is pleased to announce its contest winners.

View / download the entire press release (pdf) and visit our Photos Page to view the artwork by the National winners.

9.19.2007 2008 United States Young Aviation Artist Contest Announced For America’s Youth

WASHINGTON, DC – The Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association (BTAEA) today announced the 2008 United States Young Aviation Artist Contest, in partnership with the American Society of Aviation Artists (ASAA).

The announcement was made jointly by Frank G. Brewer, III, President of the Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association, and Kristin Hill, President of the American Society of Aviation Artists.

Download full press release (pdf)

7.31.2007 Feik receives Brewer Award

In recognition of over 65 years of personal and professional dedication to aviation education as a teacher, mentor, innovator, pilot, engineer and leader to America’s youth, Colonel Mary S. Feik has been awarded the 2006 Frank G. Brewer Trophy. View photo of Col. Feik and more

The Brewer Trophy is awarded annually by the National Aeronautic Association to an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization for significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the United States.

“To be given such an honor as the Brewer award for something that you’ve enjoyed for so many years is simply awesome,” says Feik. “If you’ve had a career with so much joy in it and met so many wonderful people in it, then to be honored and recognized for all that joy on top of everything… it’s just tremendous.”

A childhood barnstorming ride in a Curtiss Jenny when she was just seven years old, combined with her father’s instruction in mechanics and his mantra, “Aim high and follow your dreams,” eventually led Feik to a job as a teenager working in an aircraft maintenance shop. That was followed by a long career, teaching aircraft maintenance and mechanics for the U.S. Army Air Forces at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. She is credited with becoming the first woman engineer in research and development in the Air Technical Service Command Division and much later, in 1996, became the first woman to earn the Charles Taylor Master Mechanics Award.

Feik flew more than 6,000 hours as a pilot in fighter, attack, bomber, cargo and training aircraft to determine flight maintenance, safety training requirements and also qualified as a B-29 Flight Engineer. In 2004, she received the Civil Air Patrol Distinguished Service Medal and was promoted to the rank of Colonel.

She was also responsible for designing and building the first Captivair, an experimental prototype training device for pilots using operational aircraft on pylons that could quickly be returned to air service after serving as training aids. Her prototype became a standard design used on many different high-performance fighter aircraft and foreshadowed the development of the flight simulators and other training devices in use today.

Feik worked for the National Air and Space Museum for ten years, first as a docent in the museum on the National Mall, then as a Restoration Specialist at the museum’s Paul E. Garber Restoration Facility. She now restores historic aircraft and teaches restoration techniques for antique and classic aircraft to young people and aviation club members. In addition to conducting aircraft maintenance and airplane fabric workshops for youth, Feik spends much of her time traveling – at her own expense – to speak with youth and leaders at college campuses, museums and aviation organizations and is a member of the Careers in Aviation Board.

Common themes in her teaching include the values instilled in her by her father and her military colleagues: Teamwork, the importance of technical training, and pride in workmanship.

Feik has received many honors in her long and storied career, including three Civil Air Patrol Regional Brewer awards. In 2003, she was named among the “100 most influential women in aviation and aerospace industries over the last 100 years” by Women in Aviation International. As of December 2002, all Civil Air Patrol cadets working towards the rank of Cadet Senior Airman are awarded the Mary S. Feik Achievement, the third achievement in the cadet program.

“So much of this – all these tremendous honors – is so far beyond the purview of what I might have ever thought was possible at various points throughout my life,” says Feik. “The real honor however,… it’s the kids. My legacy is going to be the youngsters that I have either taught or that I have influenced in one way or another. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t a greater honor. There just isn’t.”

A full interview with Col. Mary S. Feik will appear in an upcoming issue of NAA's AERO Magazine. The 2006 Brewer Award will be awarded to Feik later this year.

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BTAEA joins NAA

06.06.2007 - The Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association has joined NAA as an Affiliate Member. NAA's affiliate members represent a special collection of aviation businesses and organizations that participate in many critical aviation issues.

Copyright © 2007-22, The Brewer Trophy Aviation Education Association and Robert Brewer.