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BEVERLY HILLS (CNS) - Prince Harry will be among four people inducted as "Living Legends of Aviation" at the 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills this month, officials said Wednesday.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is a British Army veteran and pilot with 10 years of military service, "flying training missions in the U.S., UK and Australia, as well as combat missions in Afghanistan saving the lives of allied forces and countless civilians, and creator of the Invictus Games for wounded service members and veterans around the world," according to the group.
The other "Living Legends" are Steve Hinton, an U.S. aviator who held a world speed record from 1979-89 and has flown as a pilot for film and television projects since 1977; Fred George, a Navy pilot with more than 300 carrier landings and now a world-renowned aviation writer; and Marc Parent, president and CEO of the Canadian defense technology company CAE.
The ceremony will take place Jan. 19 at the Beverly Hilton, and will be hosted by actor John Travolta, who officials called the "Official Ambassador of Aviation."
Other honorees will include:
-- Philanthropist and former journalist Lauren Sanchez will receive the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award. Sanchez founded Black Ops Aviation, one of the first female-owned aerial film and production companies.
-- Linden Blue, vice chairman of General Atomics, will receive the inaugural Dr. Sam B. Williams Technology Award for his contributions in the fields of air, space, maritime and land technologies, presented by Williams' son Gregg Williams, president and CEO of Williams International.
-- Kyle Clark, aerospace engineer, pilot, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Vermont-based BETA Technologies, will receive the Eren Ozmen Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
-- Gulfstream President Mark Burns will receive the Lifetime Aviation Industry Leader Award.
-- Lance Toland, who founded the aviation insurance company Lance Toland Associates in 1975, will receive the Freedom of Flight Award.
-- Laurans Mendelson, chairman, president and CEO of HEICO, will receive Kenn Ricci's Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award.
The program will also include the "Flown West" tribute to four Legends who have died since the group's last gathering: musician Jimmy Buffett, pilot and actor Treat Williams, Gulfstream's past president Larry Flynn, and explorer Hamish Harding.
This year's event is also expected to include William Shatner, Kenny G and Kurt Russell.
The Living Legends of Aviation Awards are produced by the nonprofit Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, which educates children about aviation.
More information can be found at https://living-legends-of- aviation.myshopify.com/.