Events

The Aero Club of Southern California is proud to honor legendary hero, both on and off-screen, Harrison Ford with the prestigious 43^rd annual Howard Hughes Memorial Award. Ford will be presented the award during a live ceremony event on Friday, June 10, 2022, in Los Angeles at the California Science Center Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion.

Best known for his renowned acting career, Harrison Ford is a licensed pilot of both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

Ford shared his love of flying with young people serving as Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles program chairman for five years. During this time, he flew more than 280 children in his DHC-2 Beaver.

In 2010, he commanded an Operation Smile medical volunteer and supply airlift for Haiti earthquake victims. Ford is a volunteer search and rescue helicopter pilot in Teton County, Wyoming. He traveled to Washington, D.C. multiple times to advocate for pilots’ rights. He serves as an honorary board member of the humanitarian aviation organization, Wings of Hope and as Vice Chair of Conservation International.

“It is an honor to celebrate Harrison Ford, the illustrious actor, pilot, and passionate aviation advocate for his volunteer work with Young Eagles, humanitarian and aircraft rescue efforts,” states George Butts, President of Aero Club of Southern California. “The Aero Club’s mission is to honor the giants of aviation and aerospace while providing generous scholarships to students pursuing an education in either field. We look forward to bringing industry professionals and the public together to recognize Mr. Ford this June and to celebrate the visibility he brings to the aviation and aerospace industries through his aviation accomplishments and iconic film career.”

The Howard Hughes Memorial Award honors exceptional leaders who advanced the fields of aviation or aerospace technology. Harrison Ford’s name will be added to the Howard Hughes Memorial trophy, a beautiful midcentury modern globe and vehicle sculpture, joining forty-two aviation and aerospace pioneers including last year’s honoree Richard “Dick” Rutan as well as General Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Neil Armstrong, General Jimmy Doolittle, Elon Musk, Captain Jim Lovell, and Captain “Sully” Sullenberger.

A retired United States Air Force officer and fighter pilot, test pilot, and record-breaking aviator who in 1986 piloted the Voyager aircraft on the first non-stop, non-refueled around-the-world flight. President Ronald Reagan awarded Dick and Burt Rutan the Presidential Citizens Medal. He served the Air Force as a Tactical Air Command fighter pilot in Vietnam, where he flew 325 combat missions in the Vietnam War. By the time he retired from the service in 1978, Dick had achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and earned many prestigious accolades including the Silver Star, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals and the Purple Heart. The Voyager mission was just one of many remarkable and record-breaking aviation accomplishments. Dick is a renowned public speaker and established the Dick Rutan Scholarship fund, which has gifted many thousands of dollars to young scholars. He remains highly active in the world of aviation and is a true legend.

Captain “Sully” Sullenberger has been dedicated to the pursuit of safety for his entire adult life. While he is best known for serving as Captain during what has been called the “Miracle on the Hudson,” Sullenberger is a safety expert, speaker, and author. He still flies privately.

Born in Denison, Texas, Sullenberger pursued his childhood love of aviation, learning to fly at 16. Upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy, he served as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, then was an airline pilot, instructor, and accident investigator until his retirement in March 2010.

Sullenberger became internationally renowned on January 15, 2009 when he and his crew safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s frigid Hudson River. Sullenberger and his crew received international acclaim for their actions, including the passage of a Congressional resolution recognizing their bravery. Sullenberger was ranked second in TIME‘s “Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009” and was awarded the French Legion of Honour.

Sullenberger is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters and also wrote Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America’s Leaders. Clint Eastwood directed the major motion picture about Sullenberger, titled SULLY, based on Highest Duty, with Tom Hanks in the lead role. The film was released to critical acclaim in September 2016. Highest Duty was republished that year as SULLY: My Search for What Really Matters.

Sullenberger is an international lecturer and keynote speaker on how to achieve the highest levels of performance, reliability, and safety through effective crisis management, continuous learning, leadership, and culture.

2018 HOWARD HUGHES MEMORIAL AWARD RECIPIENT: BUZZ ALDRIN
Buzz Aldrin is a legendary astronaut and advocate for human space exploration.

In 1966 on the Gemini 12 orbital mission, Buzz performed the world’s first successful spacewalk – extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and on July 20, 1969, Buzz and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk, becoming the first two humans to set foot on another world.

Since retiring from NASA and the U.S. Air Force, Col. Aldrin has become a bestselling author, speaker, and a Global Statesman for Space.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: February 13, 2019
Time: Reception – 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Dinner and presentation – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Location: Jonathan Club, Los Angeles, CA
Attire: Business
Parking: Included