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Awards News > Udvar-Hazy to Receive 2009 Wright Brothers Memorial Tropohy
Contact: Cassandra Bosco
202-415-2798
cbosco@naa.aero
NAA Announces Steven F. Udvar-Hazy as
Recipient of 2009 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy
Arlington, Virginia, September 15, 2009 – The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced that Steven F. Udvar-Hazy will receive the prestigious 2009 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy for “innovative aerospace business practices, improved aircraft design, piloting skills, and selfless philanthropy ensuring preservation of our aerospace history."
NAA established this award in 1948 to honor the memory of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The trophy is awarded annually to a living American for "significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States."
“Congratulations to a modern pioneer in aviation, who has shown the way not only in commerce, but in philanthropy, “ stated Walter Boyne, Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association. “The success in commerce requires intelligence and diligence, while the success in philanthropy requires taste, compassion and discrimination. Steven Udvar-Hazy leads the way in both of these crucial areas, and we thank him for doing so.”
Udvar-Hazy is the founder, Chairman and CEO of International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), the worldwide market leader in the leasing and remarketing of advanced technology commercial jet aircraft to airlines around the globe. ILFC maintains a portfolio valued at more than $52 billion consisting of more than 1,000 jet aircraft.
A staunch advocate of aerospace education, Udvar-Hazy has supported the aviation and space community by making a multi-million dollar donation to the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, to build what is today known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport. The Udvar-Hazy Center has become a focal point for aerospace education in the United States. In-residence faculty coordinate student visitation throughout the school year, and webcasts on a variety of aerospace topics originating at the Center have reached millions of students across the nation.
In addition, his family has contributed funds to build the Christine and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Library and Learning Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott Campus, one of the country’s centers of undergraduate aerospace education.
Udvar-Hazy has influenced the airline industry by serving his customers. His determination to make commercial flight more efficient has also served to keep pricing in check, minimize environmental impact of commercial flight, and revolutionize the way that commercial aircraft are purchased and utilized by the industry.
Udvar-Hazy received his private pilots license in 1968, received his FAA instrument, multi-engine and commercial pilot ratings in 1977, and graduated from the American Airlines training academy as a certified jet pilot in 1978. He holds an FAA ATP license and has more than 8,000 hours total flying time, more than 7,000 hours of those in jets.
“The winners of the Wright Trophy over the past 60 years represent a veritable timeline of the progress of aviation and aerospace in the United States,” said Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of NAA. “Mr. Udvar-Hazy’s accomplishments, vision, and generosity appropriately place him into this remarkable group of aviation leaders.”
The 2009 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy Selection Committee Members consisted of the Honorable Marion Blakey, CEO, Aerospace Industries Association; Tony Velocci, Editor-In-Chief of Aviation Week; Dr. Mark Lewis, President-Elect, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Lisa Piccione, Vice President, Aero Club of Washington and Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, NBAA; and David Castelveter, Vice President, Communications, Air Transport Association. The Committee was chaired by Jonathan Gaffney.
Udvar-Hazy will be presented with the award at the Wright Memorial Dinner on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the Washington Hilton Hotel. For more information on the award, please visit www.naa.aero. For more information on the Wright Memorial Dinner, please visit http://www.aeroclub.org/.
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