Living Legends of Aviation


The Living Legends of Aviation is an organization that recognizes accomplished people in aviation and aerospace including entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, engineers, astronauts, record breakers, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots. The Living Legends meet yearly in North America at The Beverly Hilton and in Europe every-other-year at the Scalaria Resort at a 15th-century castle on the Wolfgangsee near Salzburg, Austria. Inductees and Awards are selected by the Living Legends of Aviation and by committees within the organization. The awards are produced by and benefit the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501(c)(3).
The 23rd Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, honoring the best in aviation and aerospace for 2025, was held on January 23, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where they have been held annually since 2007.

History

Jerry Lips, publisher of Airport Journals, came up with the idea of the Living Legends of Aviation at the time of the death of Michael Chowdry. Airport Journals had been collecting and publishing biographies of various aviation personalities and Jerry regretted not having captured Chowdry's history. He began to compile a list of individuals that had made major contributions in the field of aviation, and had those people suggest more names until 70 were collected. These were the biographies that were to be recorded while the individuals were still "living". The list has grown over the years to its present number of 129. As Legends pass on, they are replaced by new inductees, selected by their fellow Legends.
Jerry Lips founded the Living Legends of Aviation in 2003 with the charter of celebrating the second century of aerospace. In 2008, Kiddie Hawk Air Academy acquired the rights to the organization and annual awards show from previous owner Airport Journals.

Event

Beginning in 2003, an awards show has been organized each year to bring together the Living Legend members for a variety of events. The awards are presented at a prestigious live ceremony, most commonly in mid January following the relevant calendar year.
In 2003, the first Living Legends of Aviation Awards were presented at a banquet dinner hosted by Airport Journals at the Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. To avoid any weather related issues, in 2006 the venue was moved to Southern California and held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles. Since 2007 the Awards have been presented at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
In 2018 the inaugural Living Legends of Aviation - Europe event was held on July 26, 2018 at the Scalaria hotel & resort in Salzkammergut, Austria.
In 2021 the awards show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025 the awards was held on April 25, 2025, postponed due to the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

List of winners

YearWinner
2003Charles Gates
2004Clay Lacy
2005Steven Udvar-Hazy
2006Al Ueltschi
2007James D. Raisbeck
2008Sir Richard Branson
2009Joe Clark
2010Delford Smith
2011J Robert Duncan
2012David Neeleman
2013Frederick Smith
2014Herb Kelleher
2016Kenn Ricci
2017Robert Bigelow
2018Jeff Bezos
2019Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond
2019S. Harry Robertson
2021Craig Sincock
2021Alexandre Couvelaire
2022Daniel Drohan
2023Laurans Mendelson
2023Steve Varsano
2024Louis Pepper
2025George A. Antoniadis

  • The award was called the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award prior to 2018.
YearWinner
2003George F Adam
2004Joe Clark
2005Vern Raburn
2006Dale & Alan Klapmeier
2007Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
2008Linden Blue
2009Elon Musk
2010Lynn Tilton
2011Eren & Fatih Ozmen
2012John Uczekaj
2015Thomas Flohr
2017Tyson Weihs & Jason Miller
2018Ivo Boscarol
2019Kenny Dichter
2021Jared Isaacman
2021Daniel Wiegand
2022Tim Ellis
2023Kyle Clark
2023Dieter Morszeck
2024Kaye Gitibin
2024Sir Peter Beck
2025Steuart Walton
2025Philipp Steinbach

  • The award was called the Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award prior to 2011, and the Aviation Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award from 2012–2017.
YearWinner
2006Bob Hoover
2007Forrest Bird & George McGovern
2008Emily Howell Warner & Zoe Dell Nutter
2009Kermit Weeks
2010Doolittle Raiders & Sam Johnson
2011Burt Rutan
2012Neil Armstrong & Eugene Cernan
2013Patrick Brady
2016Clay Lacy
2018Walter Eichhorn
2023Lance Toland
2024Dario Costa

  • The award was called the Freedom of Flight Award prior to 2007.
YearWinner
2007John Travolta

YearWinner
2007Pete Bunce
2008Ed Bolen
2009Preston Henne
2010Mark Van Tine
2014Michimasa Fujino
2016Phebe Novakovic
2018Brian Barents
2021Marc Parent
2021Bin Chen
2023Gilles Labbé

YearWinner
2008Si Robin

YearWinner
2008Harrison Ford
2009Jeffrey Puckett
2010Pat Epps
2011Richard Sugden
2012Greg Anderson
2013Marilyn Richwine & Rhonda Fullerton
2014Mark Baker
2015Scott Terry
2016Peter Paul Luce
2017Jim Inhofe
2018Sean Tucker

  • The award was called the Legends Aviation Legacy Award prior to 2009.
YearWinner
2017Gen. Jack Dailey

YearWinner
2008William Anders

YearWinner
2008Paul "Max" Moga

YearWinner
2009Kurt Russell

YearWinner
2009Tom Cruise
2010Sean Tucker
2011Morgan Freeman
2012David Ellison
2014Angelina Jolie
2015Miles O'Brien
2016Mark & Scott Kelly
2018Jim Payne
2022William Shatner

YearWinner
2017Frank Franke

YearWinner
2009Buzz Aldrin

YearWinner
2010James Lovell

YearWinner
2010Frank D. Robinson

YearWinner
2011Boeing 787 Dreamteam

YearWinner
2012Roy Morgan
2013Jack Erickson
2014Elling Halvorson
2015William "Bill" Chiles
2016Steven Hickok
2017Mike Silva
2019Sergei Sikorsky
2021Lon & Brenda Halvorson
2022Max Lyons
2023Lauren Sánchez
2024Randy Waldman

  • The award was called the Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award prior to 2019.
YearWinner
2012James Albaugh
2013Bruce N. Whitman
2015Ray Conner
2017David Joyce
2018Jean Rosanvallon
2022Mike Silvestro
2023Mark Burns
2023Guillaume Faury
2024Ronald Draper
2025Tony Lefebvre

YearWinner
2018Jeff Bezos
2019Capt. James Lovell

YearWinner
2015Dick Cole & David Thatcher

YearWinner
2015Col. Gail Halvorsen

YearWinner
2018Eren & Fatih Ozmen

YearWinner
2018Leigh Clifford

YearWinner
2018Stefan Aust
2019Claus & Gunnar Heinemann
2019Thomas Schrade
2021Bernd Breiter

YearWinner
2018Dick DeVos

YearWinner
2018Bertrand Piccard

YearWinner
2019Robert Machtlinger & Hu Huazhi

YearWinner
2019Alan Eustace

YearWinner
2021Zara Rutherford
2022Mack Rutherford
2024Amanda Lee
2025Xyla Foxlin

YearWinner
2024Jared Isaacman & Scott Poteet & Sarah Gillis & Anna Menon
2025Elon Musk