Living Legends Gala Honors Ford, Branson
Hundreds of aviators, celebrities and industry leaders attended the 6th Annual “Living Legends of Aviation” Awards Banquet last Thursday. It was a star-studded tribute held at the Beverly Hilton to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions in aviation. The overwhelming sentiment expressed by the award winners and presenters was the joy of sharing their love of flying and the commitment to spark the passion for aviation in others. One Six Right pilot Si Robin gave airplane rides to 250 students in Santa Monica who got an A on their report cards. Harrison Ford told the crowd that “aviation is an earned reward,” and said that as chairman of EAA’s Young Eagles, he encourages kids to “study & focus.” Sir Richard Branson updated the crowd on his plans to make the experience of space travel more accessible with Virgin Galactic.

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photos by Robert Kirchner |
Hundreds of aviators, celebrities and industry leaders attended the 6th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards banquet last Thursday. It was a star-studded tribute held at the Beverly Hilton to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions in aviation. The overwhelming sentiment expressed by the award winners and presenters was the joy of sharing their love of flying and the commitment to spark the passion for aviation in others, such as One Six Right pilot Si Robin, who gave airplane rides to 250 students in Santa Monica who got an A on their report cards. Harrison Ford, recipient of the Legends Aviation Legacy Award, told the crowd that "aviation is an earned reward," and said that as chairman of EAA's Young Eagles, he encourages kids to "study and focus." Sir Richard Branson, winner of the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award, updated the crowd on his plans to make the experience of space travel more accessible with Virgin Galactic.
The gala event is produced as a fundraiser in conjunction with Airport Journals by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded by Bill Marcy at KiddieHawk.org. Their special Bee Gee Racer "trainer" allows kids 5 to 11 years old to take their first flight lesson in simulators with motion and realistic flight controls. The new "trainers" will be Viper Jets (as featured on the March cover of Kitplanes).
