The Friend of the Society Award pays tribute to individuals or organizations who have provided an exceptional and notable contribution to the operation and the objectives of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP). The award was established in 1995 and is sponsored by SETP. A Friend of the Society is not a member of SETP, and there is no requirement for a Friend of the Society to be awarded every year. Honorees are announced at the annual Awards Banquet in Los Angeles, California where they receive public recognition and a commemorative plaque.
Criteria
A Friend of the Society must meet the following criteria:
- Candidates may not be members of the Society and it is preferred that candidates not be eligible for membership in the Society.
- The candidate must, over a significant time period, have made a significant contribution to the operation support and the objectives of the Society.
Recipients
Recipients of this award, from 1995 to present, include:
- 1995âÂÂBarron Hilton, Hilton Hotels Corporation
- 1996âÂÂDr. Gerry Morton, Robert Staubli
- 1998âÂÂDavid Hartman, Rodman-Downs Ltd.
- 1999âÂÂChaplain William Willson, CHCUSN (Ret)
- 2000âÂÂDr. Richard P. Hallion, USAF Historian and Dr. James O. Young, AFFTC Chief Historian
- 2001âÂÂBob Lafey, Boeing, Audio Visual and Claude Pasquis, CLP Enterprises, Audio Visual
- 2002âÂÂDan Sabovich
- 2003âÂÂFred Johnsen
- 2004âÂÂTrevor Bushell, BAE Systems and John Hodgeson
- 2005âÂÂTom Roberts
- 2006âÂÂMichael A. Dornheim and Kenneth J. Szalai
- 2007âÂÂDana Kilanowski
- 2009âÂÂHank Caruso, ForeFeathers Enterprises
- 2010âÂÂMichael J. Fahrney, The Boeing Company
- 2011âÂÂRichard R. Schock, FMS Financial Partners
- 2012âÂÂPaula S. Smith, Executive Director, SETP
- 2013âÂÂKatherine Benjamin
- 2014âÂÂSteve Lewis, National Test Pilot School
- 2015âÂÂCarol Guthrie, Former AFFTC Deputy Comptroller and Author
- 2016âÂÂDennis Archuleta, Northrop Grumman and Louise Cullina, Airline Pilots Association (ALPA)
- 2017âÂÂHeidi Biermeier
- 2018âÂÂJan and Bruce Schell
- 2019 - Natalie Rice, Disneyland Resorts
- 2020 - Not Awarded
- 2021 - Not Awarded
- 2022 - Not Awarded
- 2023 - Kirsten Larson and Joe Phillips, Textron Aviation
- 2024 - Lisa Brown
See also
References