FAA Administrator Babbitt to Present NBAA with Aviation Hall of Fame's 'Spirit of Flight' Award

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced that Administrator J. Randolph “Randy” Babbitt, who heads the Federal Aviation Administration, will present the Association with the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s (NAHF’s) 2010 Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award.

The award, bestowed annually upon a group or organization in recognition of contributions made toward the advancement of aviation, will be presented to NBAA on the evening July 16 as part of  NAHF’s annual enshrinement weekend in Dayton, Ohio, which will run through Saturday, July 17.

The Caniff Award will be presented to NBAA during the NAHF’s President’s Dinner, held in the National Museum of the United States Air Force’s Modern Flight Gallery. In addition to the Administrator’s plans to present NBAA with the NAHF Award, Babbitt is also scheduled to be among the speakers at the dinner.

“NBAA and its Members are honored to be recognized with this award,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “As a part of the aviation community, business aviation has a rich history of leadership and innovation that has been critical to the advancement of the entire industry. We at NBAA are most pleased that the National Aviation Hall of Fame will recognize those contributions with this award, and we are delighted that Randy Babbitt will present it to the Association at the ceremony.”

NAHF’s Board of Trustees first announced the organization’s intention to bestow the award upon NBAA during the Opening General Session of NBAA’s 2009 Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, Fla. That announcement was formalized on December 17, 2009, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, as part of an annual celebration of the anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first controlled powered flight.

The National Aviation Hall of Fame was 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.

For more information about the Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award or to learn more about attending the annual enshrinement ceremony, visit the NAHF website at www.nationalaviation.org.