Living Legends of Aviation
The Living Legends of Aviation is an award honoring achievements in the aerospace industry, bestowed by the 117 current title holders and owned and produced by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501. The Living Legends have all made significant contributions to many areas of aviation including: innovators, record breakers, astronauts, aviation entrepreneurs, industry leaders and celebrity pilots.
The 17th Living Legends of Aviation Awards, honoring the best in aviation for 2019, were presented on January 16, 2020, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where they have been held annually since 2007.
History
Jerry Lips, publisher of Airport Journals, came up with the idea of the Living Legends of Aviation at the time of the death of Michael Chowdry. Airport Journals had been collecting and publishing biographies of various aviation personalities and Jerry regretted not having captured Chowdry's history. He began to compile a list of individuals that had made major contributions in the field of aviation, and had those people suggest more names until 70 were collected. These were the biographies that were to be recorded while the individuals were still "living". The list has grown over the years to its present number of 117. As Legends pass on, they are replaced by new inductees, selected by their fellow Legends.Jerry Lips founded the Living Legends of Aviation in 2003 with the charter of celebrating the second century of aerospace. In 2008, Kiddie Hawk Air Academy acquired the rights to the organization and annual awards show from previous owner Airport Journals.
Current inductees
Past inductees
Event
Beginning in 2003, an awards show has been organized each year to bring together the Living Legend members for a variety of events. The awards are presented at a prestigious live ceremony, most commonly in mid January following the relevant calendar year.In 2003, the first Living Legends of Aviation Awards were presented at a banquet dinner hosted by Airport Journals at the Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. To avoid any weather related issues, in 2006 the venue was moved to Southern California and held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles. Since 2007 the Awards have been presented at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2018 the inaugural Living Legends of Aviation - Europe event was held on July 26, 2018 at the Scalaria hotel & resort in Salzkammergut, Austria.
List of winners
| Year | Winner |
| 2003 | Charles Gates |
| 2004 | Clay Lacy |
| 2005 | Steven Udvar-Hazy |
| 2006 | Al Ueltschi |
| 2007 | James D. Raisbeck |
| 2008 | Sir Richard Branson |
| 2009 | Joe Clark |
| 2010 | Delford Smith |
| 2011 | J Robert Duncan |
| 2012 | David Neeleman |
| 2013 | Frederick Smith |
| 2014 | Herb Kelleher |
| 2016 | Kenn Ricci |
| 2017 | Robert_Bigelow |
| 2018 | Jeff Bezos |
| 2019 | Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond |
| 2019 | Dr S. Harry Robertson |
- The award was called the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award prior to 2018.
| Year | Winner |
| 2003 | Rick Adam |
| 2004 | Joe Clark |
| 2005 | Vern Raburn |
| 2006 | Dale & Alan Klapmeier |
| 2007 | HH Sheik Al Maktoum |
| 2008 | Linden Blue |
| 2009 | Elon Musk |
| 2010 | Lynn Tilton |
| 2011 | Eren & Fatih Ozmen |
| 2012 | John Uczekaj |
| 2015 | Thomas Flohr |
| 2017 | Tyson Weihs & Jason Miller |
| 2018 | Ivo Boscarol |
| 2019 | Kenny Dichter |
- The award was called the Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award prior to 2011, and the Aviation Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award from 2012–2017.
| Year | Winner |
| 2006 | Bob Hoover |
| 2007 | Forrest Bird & George McGovern |
| 2008 | Emily Howell Warner & Zoe Dell Nutter |
| 2009 | Kermit Weeks |
| 2010 | Doolittle Raiders & Sam Johnson |
| 2011 | Burt Rutan |
| 2012 | Neil Armstrong & Eugene Cernan |
| 2013 | Patrick Brady |
| 2016 | Clay Lacy |
| 2018 | Walter Eichhorn |
- The award was called the Freedom of Flight Award prior to 2007.
| Year | Winner |
| 2007 | John Travolta |
| Year | Winner |
| 2007 | Pete Bunce |
| 2008 | Ed Bolen |
| 2009 | Preston Henne |
| 2010 | Mark Van Tine |
| 2014 | Michimasa Fujino |
| 2016 | Phebe Novakovic |
| 2018 | Brian Barents |
| Year | Winner |
| 2008 | Si Robin |
| Year | Winner |
| 2008 | Harrison Ford |
| 2009 | Jeffrey Puckett |
| 2010 | Pat Epps |
| 2011 | Richard Sugden |
| 2012 | Greg Anderson |
| 2013 | Marilyn Richwine & Rhonda Fullerton |
| 2014 | Mark Baker |
| 2015 | Scott Terry |
| 2016 | Peter Paul Luce |
| 2017 | Jim Inhofe |
| 2018 | Sean Tucker |
- The award was called the Legends Aviation Legacy Award prior to 2009.
| Year | Winner |
| 2017 | Gen. Jack Dailey |
| Year | Winner |
| 2008 | William Anders |
| Year | Winner |
| 2008 | Paul "Max" Moga |
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Kurt Russell |
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Tom Cruise |
| 2010 | Sean Tucker |
| 2011 | Morgan Freeman |
| 2012 | David Ellison |
| 2014 | Angelina Jolie |
| 2015 | Miles O'Brien |
| 2016 | Mark & Scott Kelly |
| Year | Winner |
| 2017 | Frank Franke |
| Year | Winner |
| 2009 | Buzz Aldrin |
| Year | Winner |
| 2010 | James Lovell |
| Year | Winner |
| 2010 | Frank D. Robinson |
| Year | Winner |
| 2011 | Boeing 787 Dreamteam |
| Year | Winner |
| 2012 | Roy Morgan |
| 2013 | Jack Erickson |
| 2014 | Elling Halvorson |
| 2015 | William "Bill" Chiles |
| 2016 | Steven Hickok |
| 2017 | Mike Silva |
| 2019 | Sergei Sikorsky |
- The award was called the Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award prior to 2019.
| Year | Winner |
| 2012 | James Albaugh |
| 2013 | Bruce N. Whitman |
| 2015 | Ray Conner |
| 2017 | David Joyce |
| 2018 | Jean Rosanvallon |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Jeff Bezos |
| 2019 | Capt. James Lovell |
| Year | Winner |
| 2015 | Dick Cole & David Thatcher |
| Year | Winner |
| 2015 | Col. Gail Halvorsen |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Eren & Fatih Ozmen |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Leigh Clifford |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Stefan Aust |
| 2019 | Claus & Gunnar Heinemann |
| 2019 | Thomas Schrade |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Dick DeVos |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Jim Payne |
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Bertrand Piccard |
| Year | Winner |
| 2019 | Robert Machtlinger & Hu Huazhi |
| Year | Winner |
| 2019 | Alan Eustace |