Aviation Week & Space Technology - 30 March-12 April 2015

64 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/MARCH 30-APRIL 12, 2015 AviationWeek.com/awst

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harles Bolden may be a retired Marine Corps major

general, astronaut and the sitting administrator of

NASA, but even he was trapped at home when a sur-

prise snowstorm walloped Washington on March 5, closing

the federal government and bringing the U.S. capital and its

three major airports to a grinding halt. After fruitlessly try-

ing to order a taxi, Bolden went outside and dug out his car.

Then he donned a tuxedo and made the treacherous 15-mi.

drive along the banks of the frozen Potomac River to keep

a commitment to recognize outstanding students from the

four U.S. military service academies.

Bolden was one of nearly 200 distinguished guests who

braved the icy elements and made it to the historic National

Building Museum for Aviation Week’s 58th annual Laureate

Awards. Air Lease Corp. Chairman and CEO Steven Udvar-

Hazy landed a Gulfstream G650ER on 3-4 in. of packed snow

and ice on the only open runway at Dulles International Air-

port, arriving early with company President John Plueger.

John Leahy, Airbus’s boisterous chief salesman, was there

to accept a Lifetime Achievement award. So were U.S. Air

Force Brig. Gen. Kenneth Todorov, deputy director of the

U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and former JetBlue Airways

CEO Dave Barger, who ribbed Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark

Dunkerley about how he never had to worry about operating

in bad weather.

It was an evening to remember, as Aviation Week contin-

ued a tradition that began in 1957 to laud great achievements

in aerospace, defense and civil aviation. Editors saluted two

dozen fi nalists and then announced a winner in each of six

categories: civil aviation, defense, space, business aviation,

technology and innovation. The program also included two

Philip J. Klass Lifetime Achievement Awards—named in

honor of Aviation Week’s legendary avionics editor—and the

Tomorrow’s Leaders awards presented by Bolden to one stu-

dent each from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Naval Academy,

Military Academy and Coast Guard Academy.

This year’s event featured two new honors: the Technology

Award, which was won by General Electric’s Greg Morris for

his pioneering work in applying additive manufacturing to

production engines, and the Innovation Award, presented to

teams at Raytheon and Saab for their dif erent approaches to

bringing gallium nitride power electronics to military radar

and electronic-warfare systems.

The U.S. Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system team

and prime contractor Boeing accepted the Defense award

for overcoming a complex problem preventing ballistic mis-

sile intercepts. The ceremony concluded with a speech from

Leahy, who was recognized for his role in transforming Air-

bus from a niche player to one of two companies that domi-

nate the commercial aircraft industry—and selling nearly $1

trillion worth of airplanes. He didn’t pause that night, ending

his speech with, “If there is anyone out there interested in

buying an A380... ”

The industry’s can-do spirit was embodied by Aviation

Week President Gregory Hamilton, who in the hours be-

fore the event was fl ooded with queries asking if it would

be postponed given the weather. His resolute response: “We

don’t cancel.” c

The Show Must Go On

LAUREATES 2015

Aviation Week

CHRIS ZIMMER PHOTOS