{"id":21483,"date":"2022-03-28T22:08:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T22:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=21483"},"modified":"2022-03-28T22:08:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T22:08:51","slug":"aopa-honors-aviation-excellence-at-sixth-annual-r-a-bob-hoover-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/aopa-honors-aviation-excellence-at-sixth-annual-r-a-bob-hoover-awards\/%20","title":{"rendered":"AOPA Honors Aviation Excellence at Sixth-Annual R.A. \u201cBob\u201d Hoover Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo above – R.A. \u201cBob\u201d Hoover Trophy recipient, Wally Funk is recognized by AOPA President Mark Baker. Photos\u00c2\u00a0by<\/em> David Tulis.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wally Funk has carved a career of trailblazing firsts. A\ntrue aviation pioneer, she may be best known to many for her recent journey\ninto space on a Blue Origin rocket, but many years and accomplishments prepared\nFunk for that remarkable moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She can now add R.A. \u201cBob\u201d Hoover Trophy recipient to her\nlong list of accolades. Funk was presented the honor by AOPA President Mark\nBaker during a gala event at Signature Flight Support at Ronald Reagan\nWashington National Airport in Washington, D.C., on March 23. The event honored\nFunk, as well as other outstanding aviators and innovative aviation companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funk accepted the highest honor of the night for exhibiting\n\u201cthe airmanship, leadership, mentorship, and passion for aviation\u201d that Hoover\nexemplified, as well as for having a \u201cdistinguished career as a pilot and\naviation advocate while also serving as a source of inspiration and\nencouragement for current and prospective aviators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of Bob Hoover\u2019s hallmark lines was, \u2018The most important\nthing any aviator can do is to encourage others to want to fly.\u2019 I can\u2019t think\nof a more inspirational aviator and a more deserving winner of this year\u2019s\ntrophy,\u201d said Baker. \u201cThere are many, many people, especially women, who have\npursued the great passion for flight because of Wally.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 20, 2021, from a launchpad in West Texas, Funk\u2019s\naviation career came full circle when she blasted off aboard Blue Origin NS-16\nto an altitude of 107 kilometers. At the time, she was the oldest person to\ntravel in space and became the only member of the Mercury 13 team to ever lift\noff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have had such a wonderful life in aviation ever since I\nfell in love with it when I was two years old,\u201d Funk said after receiving the\naward from Baker. \u201cI\u2019ve done so much in aviation and still going! I feel so\nhumbled tonight with this award.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funk\u2019s aviation excellence was recognized in 1974 when she\naccepted the role of air safety investigator with the National Transportation\nSafety Board in Washington. She was the NTSB\u2019s first female investigator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only has Funk accumulated 19,600 flight hours, she has\nalso been persistent in paying it forward for future generations of aviators.\nAs a professional flight instructor, Funk has guided more than 3,000 students\nto their private pilot certificate or an advanced rating. She is also the\nauthor of the inspirational book Higher, Faster, Longer: My Life in Aviation\nand My Quest for Spaceflight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She joins an impressive list of Hoover Trophy winners,\nincluding Hoover himself, Sean D. Tucker, Harrison Ford, Clay Lacy, and Burt\nRutan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mark Baker, left, presents Glenn Gonzales with the Aviation Inspiration Award.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation Inspiration\nAward was presented to Glenn Gonzales, founder, and CEO of Jet It, which\nleverages the innovative HondaJet to create a unique path to general aviation\naccess for pilots and passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like McGee, Gonzales is a U.S. Air Force veteran who has\nused his military and aviation background to make a difference for others. In\nhis own community, Gonzales founded a military community outreach organization,\ncalled The 71st Fighter Squadron Iron Foundation, and also served as a program\ncoordinator for Special Olympics. He has inspired many local youths\u2014and\nadults\u2014through his words and deeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs you know, America lost a true hero earlier this year in\nGeneral McGee,\u201d Baker said. \u201cHe was an inspiration and a true friend to the\naviation world. True to his lifelong spirit, we are happy to recognize Glenn,\nwho, like General McGee, persevered to overcome challenges en route to learning\nto fly\u2014while inspiring others along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AOPA General Aviation Safety Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Phil Straub accepts the Safety Award on behalf of Garmin. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

AOPA Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President Richard\nMcSpadden presented the AOPA General Aviation Safety Award to Garmin\nInternational for its innovative Autonomi system, lifesaving technologies that\ncan be used in the event of pilot or aircraft incapacity. The suite includes\nthe renowned autoland function. Phil Straub, the company\u2019s executive vice\npresident, and managing director of aviation accepted the award on behalf of\nGarmin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe recognize there are many individuals and organizations\nthat have contributed extraordinary safety measures for the benefit of all of\nus in general aviation. But, some stand out\u2014like Garmin,\u201d said McSpadden. \u201cThat\nis exactly why we established the General Aviation Safety Award, to honor those\nlike Garmin who have delivered exceptional safety contributions for those of us\nin the air and on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sharples Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 Sharples Award is given to someone who has made\nextraordinary contributions to GA in honor of AOPA\u2019s first chairman of the\nboard, Laurence P. Sharples. Two Sharples Awards were presented during the\nevent because of a COVID-19 pause of in-person events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dewey Davenport, right, accepts his Sharples Award from Mark Baker.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 honor was presented to Dewey Davenport. For more\nthan 20 years, Davenport, a first officer at NetJets, has been a true\nambassador for GA\u2014especially throughout the Midwest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDewey is an accomplished aviator, but he will be the first\nto say that his biggest victories lie in the future aviators he has introduced\nto this wonderful passion,\u201d Baker explained. \u201cDewey\u2019s passion for aviation,\ncommitment to inspiring this next generation, and successful advocacy efforts\nmake him the perfect choice for the 2021 Laurence P. Sharples Award.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Anthony Restaino, right, accepts his Sharples award from Mark Baker.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That honor was immediately followed with the 2022 Sharples\nAward presentation to Anthony \u201cTony\u201d Restaino, president of Florida Aero Club\nand AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for North Perry Airport in Hollywood,\nFlorida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTony has exemplified the meaning of ASN as he saved his\nhome airport at North Perry from closure threats on several occasions,\u201d said\nBaker. \u201cTony also spearheaded critical humanitarian relief GA flights to the\nBahamas after Hurricane Dorian. As the President of the Florida Aero Club, Tony\nis inspiring the next generation of pilots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hartranft Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, left, receives the Hartranft Award from Mark Baker.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 Hartranft award, named after AOPA\u2019s first president\nand former chairman of the board \u201cDoc\u201d Hartranft, was presented to U.S. Rep.\nRick Larsen (D-Wash.), chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee and a member of\nthe House GA Caucus, for his contributions to the advancement of GA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs you know, we are all about the freedom to fly. But this\nfreedom is only protected when we have valued allies on Capitol Hill like Rick\nLarsen who understand the importance of general aviation to our nation and\nlocal communities\u2014and who help keep GA safe and accessible,\u201d Baker explained.\n\u201cInspiring leaders like Rick allow us to pursue this wonderful passion that we\nall cherish and share.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larsen is a longtime supporter of AOPA and GA With almost\n1,200 AOPA members in his Washington district alone, he understands the vital\nrole and economic benefit that GA provides to our nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larsen\u2019s list of accomplishments on behalf of GA is a long\none. He was an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan National Center for the\nAdvancement of Aviation Act, an effort to create an independent center to\nfacilitate collaboration and address workforce challenges. He also supported\nthe inclusion of a bipartisan amendment on flight training, seeking to reverse\nthe misguided notion that flight training is viewed as carrying a passenger for\ncompensation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Washington state and across the country, general\naviation means jobs and helps business succeed,\u201d Larsen said. “GA is a\nlifeline for communities, for both business and emergency. Getting this award\ntonight means important recognition for GA.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo above – R.A. \u201cBob\u201d Hoover Trophy recipient, Wally Funk is recognized by AOPA President Mark Baker. Photos\u00c2\u00a0by David Tulis. Wally Funk has carved a career of trailblazing firsts. A true aviation pioneer, she may be best known to many for her recent journey into space on a Blue Origin rocket, but many years and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Wally-Funk-at-AOPA.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21483"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21491,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21483\/revisions\/21491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}