Inaugural Presentation At NBAA's 59th Annual Meeting & Convention

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced this week the Cessna Aircraft Company will be presented with the inaugural NBAA Albert Ueltschi Humanitarian Award, in recognition of the leadership and spirit of service demonstrated by the Cessna Citation Special Olympics Airlift.

The airlift -- supported by 235 Cessna Citation aircraft and hundreds of business aviation volunteers -- provided round-trip transportation for 1,500 Special Olympics athletes and their coaches from multiple locations around the country to compete in the Special Olympics in Des Moines, IA, in early July.

"The generosity of the hundreds of Cessna Citation owners and operators required to accomplish this massive humanitarian effort epitomizes the sense of community and service that NBAA intends to recognize with the Ueltschi Humanitarian Award," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.

"We created this award to bring recognition to the often unsung efforts of the business aviation community to pitch in whenever there is an opportunity," Bolen said.

The award, which will honor a new recipient each year, will be presented to Cessna Aircraft Company Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton at the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention Awards Luncheon at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, October 17.

Albert Ueltschi, the award's namesake (right), has been widely recognized for his lifetime of dedication to philanthropic causes. He was instrumental in the development of ORBIS, an international non-profit organization dedicated to preventing blindness and saving sight worldwide. Ueltschi, who has served as ORBIS's chairman for more than 20 years, has made a number of significant financial contributions to the organization and has been instrumental in developing many of its most important initiatives.

Ueltschi's reputation for service has not been limited to his work with ORBIS. He is the chairman of FlightSafety International, which he founded in 1951. More than 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety's facilities each year.

When NBAA announced the creation of the award, Bolen described the tribute to Ueltschi by saying: "Al is an aviation legend, and a significant part of his legacy is his commitment to using aviation to improve the lives of others. We think this award is a fitting tribute to someone who has truly made a difference."

FMI: www.nbaa.org, www.citationairlift.com