Saturday, July 17, 2010

When it comes to appropriately and publicly saluting our nation’s aviation pioneers, there may be no other event as significant as the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s Enshrinement gala.  Not surprisingly the spectacular formal dinner and ceremony has become known as America’s “Oscar Night of Aviation.”  The 2010 edition of this historic event will again see a freshman crop of air and space legends inducted before an anticipated audience of 1,000 or more peers and admirers.  This includes not only NAHF members and former enshrinees, but also hundreds of government, aerospace and defense industry leaders, media representatives and aviation enthusiasts from around the world.

The evening begins with a one-hour Opening Guest Reception held in the spacious atrium of the Dayton Convention Center.  Guests then convene in the adjacent grand ballroom for a gourmet dinner and evening’s live and multi-media on-stage presentations to each of the four honorees.

The Enshrinee Class of 2010 being honored is:

Alan Bean, lunar module pilot for Apollo 12, man’s second lunar landing, and has logged almost 1,700 hours in space;

Warren G. Grimes, “father of aircraft lighting industry,” inventor of aircraft navigation instruments and lights, including panel lighting for spacecraft;

Clay Lacy, a 50,000-hour-plus pilot, business aviation icon and air-to-air cinematographer for films such as Top Gun and The Right Stuff;

Noel Wien, an Arctic flight pioneer who founded Wien Alaska Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the U.S.

Seating for the 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony is limited and by advance reservation only.  Seats are $150 per person of which $85 is tax deductible as provided by law.  Attire is black tie (dark suit optional).  For further information contact the National Aviation Hall of Fame at (937) 256-0944 x10.