Santa Monica, California (PRWEB) April 28, 2014 -- “Our inaugural Endeavor Awards event, created in a climate of ongoing and often unfair criticism of general aviation, now stands poised and ready to honor the true heroes of flying,” said Mark Wolper, President & Executive Producer of The Wolper Organization at Warner Bros. and Chair of the Endeavor Awards Host Committee.
The first three Endeavor Award Winners were chosen from nominations from volunteer pilot organizations (VPOs) nationwide. Their awards will be announced and bestowed on awards night, May 4 in the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion at the California Science Center.
“These compassionate men and women have distinguished themselves by flying people to medical care, rescuing and relocating animals, transporting wounded warriors, surveying environmental impacts, assisting in the wake of disasters, and taking special needs kids to camps,” Wolper said. “Throughout the evening of awards, we will experience the dramatic and heart-warming stories of people whose lives were saved and protected by these generous pilots.”
Legendary pilots and aviators from several generations will gather to celebrate these ‘gifts of flight’ that happen every day across America, including "The Pilot's Pilot" Bob Hoover, Clay Lacy, Tom Poberezny, John & Martha King, and Sean Tucker, the "Rock Star" Air Show Performer who will serve as Emcee.
Leading Gala Sponsors on behind-the-scenes tours of the Endeavour and its successful shuttle missions is a team of current and former Astronauts: Randy Bresnik, Daniel Bursch, Drew Feustel, Tammy Jernigan, Charlie Precourt, Scott Parazynski, Kent Rominger, George Zamka, and Jeff Wisoff.
Opening the show with graceful daring will be German performer Crystalle, who will soar through her “Adagio for Amelia Earhart” before the crowd of 400 celebrants.
The Endeavor Award honorees were first nominated in an open call for individuals from 40 volunteer pilot organizations (VPOs) nationwide. From these original nominees, the Endeavor Awards Gala Host Committee selected a list of 13 Finalists. After the quantitative voting process, three inaugural Endeavor Award winners were selected. The winners will be announced and honored with their Endeavor Award at the event.
About Public Benefit Aviation
Public benefit flights are in the air every day across the U.S., flown by over 100 volunteer pilot organizations (VPOs). Individual pilots donate their own time, general aviation aircraft, fuel and other expenses to provide healthcare, compassion, and community service flights. FlightAware shows approximately 10,000 flights in 2013 identified by pilots as "compassion flights." Exact counts of the number of flights are not readily available because many pilots do not use charity-related call signs for their flights. (Courtesy of FlightAware - http://www.flightaware.com) More complete estimates indicate 25,000 charity flights are provided yearly by volunteer pilot organizations such as Angel Flight West. Major commercial airlines in the U.S. also donate trips to people in need with an estimated $110 million in value.
About The Endeavor Awards:
The Endeavor Awards Gala (http://www.endeavorawards.org) is an annual event honoring the pilots, support organizations and corporations most responsible for providing Public Benefit Aviation. Sponsoring organizations (listed below) will hold the inaugural Endeavor Awards event on May 4, 2014 at the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion in the California Science Center.
About The Endeavor Awards Gala Sponsors:
Air Care Alliance
AOPA
Alaska Airlines
Angel Flight West
Aviation American Gin
Clay Lacy Aviation
Tom & Mary Kay Gallagher Foundation
Hangar 24 Craft Beer
Jeff & Linda Hendricks Family Foundation
jetAVIVA
Jet Center Los Angeles
Kauffman Family Foundation
King Schools, Inc.
Pacific Post/Bill & Barbara Mitchell
NBAA
John L. Plueger Family
Red Bull
James Slattery
Jim & Glenys Slavik
Stater Bros.
Tempus Aircraft Sales
UCLA Health
University of Washington Medicine
Warner Brothers
About Angel Flight West:
Angel Flight West (AFW) (http://www.angelflightwest.org) is a 31-year-old organization of volunteer private pilots offering the gift of flight to thousands of stricken children and adults. Along with its commercial airline partners, AFW provides non-emergency air transportation without cost to qualified passengers. AFW volunteer pilots donate their time and all their expenses to provide access to treatment at faraway medical centers; transporting blood to critically ill patients; flying special needs kids to summer camps; and many more humanitarian missions.
About The Endeavor Awards Finalists:
Andrew Baird, Children’s Flight of Hope, South Eastern Region. “My first mission was for a 10-year-old with brain cancer who has been an inspiration to me ever since.”
Bruce Bromberg, Vital Flight, South Eastern Region. A colleague spoke about Bruce, “He remains dedicated to the individuals he flies and will rearrange his schedule in order to fly them again.”
Joe DeMarco, Wings Flights of Hope, North Eastern Region. “We were greeted on landing with embraces and tears of joy and thankfulness by a mother and her young child suffering from a spinal tumor.”
Russell Ginn, Angel Flight South Central. “Flying for AF is a win-win situation.”
Jeff Hendricks, Veteran’s Airlife Command. “How thankful we are that there are those who have been willing to give so much to protect our country and freedoms.”
Joe Howley, Patient Airlift Services (PALS), North Eastern Region. Joe says that his dedication to PALS “comes from seeing firsthand how much need there is and the qualitative difference we are making in people’s lives.”
David Knies, Vital Flight, South Eastern Region. A colleague said, “David, who lives in northern Alabama began traveling to Florida on a regular basis to help build Vital Flight from the ground up.”
Jim Platz, Patient Airlift Services (PALS), North Eastern Region. “I am continually amazed by the courage, determination, faith, and positive attitudes that our patients show in the face of challenging situations.”
Kathleen Quinn, Pilots N Paws. “I was always rescuing wildlife and taking them across the street to be rehabilitated.”
Bill Rush, LightHawk, Nationwide Environmental Awareness. As one of his colleagues said about Bill, “He has often gone above and beyond, demonstrating his dedication.”
Mack Secord, Angel Flight Soars, South Eastern Region. “You can indulge your passion for flying, and give a hand up to someone.”
Phil Tholen, Veteran’s Airlift Command. “I have become inspired by the brave men and women I have met during my time with the VAC.”
Peter J. VandenBosh, Wings of Mercy, Mid-Western Region. “I heard a voice that said, ‘Peter, there is more to life than this.’”
About the Endeavor Awards Gala Host Committee:
Mark Wolper
President & Executive Producer of The Wolper Organization
Chair of Endeavor Awards Gala Host Committee
Chuck Aaron
Red Bull Aerobatic Helicopter Pilot
Edward Asner
Actor & Winner of Seven Emmy Awards
William S. Ayer
Retired Chairman and CEO, Alaska Air Group
Dr. Peter Diamandis
Chairman and CEO of XPRIZE
Alan Dias
AFW Executive Director & AFW Command Pilot since 1995
David T. Feinberg, MD, MBA
President of UCLA Health Systems
Tom Gallagher
Member, Angel Flight West Board of Directors; Chair, Development and Advisory Committee
Michael Herman
Founder and Chairman, North American Communications
Bob Hoover
World War II Hero, Test Pilot & Air Show Performer
John and Martha King
Co-chairmen and Co-owners of King Schools, Inc.
Clay Lacy
Founder/CEO of Clay Lacy Aviation
Benjamin Marcus
Co-Founder & Partner of jetAVIVA & Aerospace Capital
Rol Murrow
Chair and Co-Founder, Air Care Alliance; Executive Director, Wolf Aviation Fund
Scott Parazynski, M.D.
5-time Shuttle Astronaut and Spacewalker; Chairman, Challenger Center for Space Science Education
John L. Plueger
President and Chief Operating Officer of Air Lease Corporation
Tom Poberezny
Chairman Emeritus of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
Sean Tucker
Renowned Oracle Team Airshow Performer and Pilot; Honorary Chair of Young Eagles
Robert Zemeckis
Award Winning Film Producer and Director
About Crystalle:
The performance by Crystalle, “Adagio for Amelia” is an homage to the legendary female pilot Amelia Earhart who in 1932, was the first woman to fly single handed across the Atlantic. With this amazing feat, Amelia Earhart embodied self-confidence, strength and an ability to plan down to the smallest detail combined with an incredible lust for life. She was, and still is, an inspiration for all women and men who want to fly.
This fascinating woman has also inspired CRYSTALLE to take flight in a spell-bindingly different way. Working exclusively with the British choreographer Christina Comtesse a new concept and vocabulary of movement has been developed, using specially designed equipment built and developed by the technical team of the Seattle Opera House (USA). It is the only aerial act in the world on the subject of aviation, planes and pilots.
Janet Cathcart, Angel Flight West, http://www.endeavorawards.org, +1 310-880-4781, [email protected]
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