August 23, 2011 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will present awards for technical and lifetime achievement at an 11:30 a.m. awards luncheon on September 21 as part of the 11th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference, the AIAA Balloon Systems Conference, the 19th AIAA Lighter-Than-Air Systems Technology Conference, and the AIAA Centennial of Naval Aviation Forum, September 20, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Va.
- Leland Nicolai, Lockheed Martin Fellow, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Palmdale, Calif., will receive the 2011 AIAA Aircraft Design Award. The award honors a design engineer or team for the conception, definition or development of an original concept or career contributions leading to significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology. Nicolai is being recognized for four decades of aircraft design leadership, including developing the AGM-129/Advanced Cruise Missile, redirecting the AGM-158/Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile into the 21st Century, authoring design textbooks, and teaching aircraft design.
- Vincent Capezzuto, director of program operations, Air Traffic Organization, En Route and Oceanic Services, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C., will receive the 2011 AIAA Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management. The award honors an individual for outstanding contributions in the management of a significant aeronautical related program or project. Capezzuto is being honored for his innovative leadership that delivered the Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast System, an enabling technology for the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
- W. Vernon Jones, senior scientist, Suborbital Research, Science Mission Directorate, Astrophysics Division, NASA, Washington, D.C., will receive the 2011 AIAA Otto Winzen Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors outstanding contributions and achievements in the advancement of free-flight balloon systems or related technologies. Jones is being honored for applying the vision of long-duration balloons to a better understanding of cosmology and the fundamental origins of our universe.
For more information on these awards, or on the AIAA Honors and Awards Program, please contact Carol Stewart at carols@aiaa.org or 703.264.7623. For more information on the 11th AIAA Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations (ATIO) Conference, the AIAA Balloon Systems Conference, the 19th AIAA Lighter-Than-Air Systems Technology Conference, or the AIAA Centennial of Naval Aviation Forum, please contact Duane Hyland at duaneh@aiaa.org of 703.254.7558.
AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.