The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has canceled the 2020 R.A. “Bob” Hoover Awards because of the ongoing situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic. The awards were originally set to take place on March 18 in Washington, D.C., and were rescheduled in conjunction with the National Business Aviation Association’s annual BACE convention in Orlando for Oct. 6, which has also been affected by the pandemic.
“The health and welfare of our staff and event attendees remain a priority,” AOPA said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the ongoing situation surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic and decisions regarding AOPA events will always be communicated as soon as a decision is made. We look forward to being together again soon to recognize and celebrate the contributions of many notable leaders throughout general aviation.”
The 2021 Hoover Awards date will be announced later this year. The 2020 R.A. “Bob” Hoover Awards would have been the fifth-annual awards ceremony and scheduled to honor Burt Rutan during a reception at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s historic Terminal A in Washington, D.C.
The Hoover Trophy honors “aviators whose airmanship, leadership, mentorship, and passion for aviation inspire a love of flight in countless others.” Hoover won the first trophy, himself, in 2016 and AOPA has carried on his memory through the prestigious annual awards each year. Other honorees have included Sean D. Tucker, Harrison Ford, and Clay Lacy.
In addition to the Hoover Trophy, AOPA was planning to present the Joseph B. “Doc” Hartranft Award, the Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award, the General Aviation Safety Award, and the inaugural Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award.
If you would like to transfer your ticket purchase toward a donation to the AOPA Foundation (the AOPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, tax identification # 20-8817225, all contributions to the AOPA Foundation are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law), please let Patty Miller (patty.miller@aopa.org) know as soon as possible. Otherwise, all paid attendees can expect a full refund within the next couple of weeks.
