Gulfstream has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Collier Trophy, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced overnight.
The Collier Trophy is presented annually for an achievement in aeronautics or astronautics demonstrated by actual use over the previous year.
Gulfstream won the award "for the development of the Gulfstream G650 Business Jet, which strengthened business aviation through significant technological advancements in aircraft performance, cabin comfort, and safety.”
According to NAA Chairman Jim Albaugh, Gulfstream beat some stiff competition.
“It was a very strong list of nominations which reflect the advancement of the world’s aviation industry,”he said. “It was a difficult list from which to select a recipient, and I congratulate Gulfstream on this great honor.”
The other nominees were:
- Alan Eustace and the StratEx Team
- Embraer Legacy 500
- F-16 Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Team
- General Aviation Joint Steering Committee
- Orion Exploration Flight Test-1
- Aurora Flight Sciences Orion UAS
This is the second time Gulfstream has won the Collier, having also been awarded in 2004 for the G550 using enhanced vision system.
Previous winners of the Collier include Glenn Curtiss (the first two awarded), Orville Wright, Pan Am, Howard Hughes, Chuck Yeager, Kelly Johnson (twice), the crew of Apollo 11, Boeing (three times alone and once with Bell) and Eclipse Aviation.