Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, Sept. 4, 2019 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will bestow its 2019 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award, the association’s highest honor, to pilot, businessman and aviation champion Ross Perot, Jr. at this year’s NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), taking place Oct. 22-24 in Las Vegas, NV.
Perot is a longtime pilot and aviation advocate, who served more than eight years with the U.S. Air Force, and later led a 14-year effort to establish the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Washington, DC. In 1982, he co-piloted a Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II dubbed the “Spirit of Texas” on the first round-the-world flight by helicopter.
Today, Perot serves as chairman of The Perot Group, a family-based investment operation, and he serves as founder and chairman of Hillwood, a global real estate development firm.
Through Hillwood, Perot drove the development of Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which over the past 30 years has grown into a vital business aviation and industrial transportation center for the region, and a model facility being emulated elsewhere. Hillwood also frequently operates its business airplanes on humanitarian missions into challenging situations around the world.
“Ross is not only an aviation pioneer in his own right, but also an outstanding citizen, businessman and leader with a tremendous life story,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “He represents the very best of our industry, including its humanitarian values, and has been a tireless advocate for the entire aviation community and a lifetime patriot for the United States.”
Recently, Perot has taken an active role in the development of urban air mobility, a fast-emerging transportation segment that also holds potential for business aviation uses, through a partnership with Uber Elevate. He also serves as chairman for the EastWest Institute and serves on the boards of the Dallas Citizens Council, Vanderbilt University and the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.
First presented in 1950, the Meritorious Service to Aviation Award celebrates extraordinary lifelong professional contributions to aviation. Recipients of the honor are those who built the aviation industry, including business aviation, from the ground up by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, and who have made significant identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests.
Learn more about NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award.
NBAA-BACE is business aviation’s most important annual event, where participants have an unequaled opportunity to view the latest business aircraft, products, technology, and services the industry offers. Held this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport, the event offers a premier networking venue, dozens of educational sessions and more.
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 11,000 companies and professionals and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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