Aviation Week Announces Winners of 56th Annual Laureate Awards, Honoring Outstanding Achievements in Aviation, Aerospace & Defense

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation Week (http://www.aviationweek.com), the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, announced the winners of the 56th Annual Laureate Awards tonight at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.  The black-tie awards gala recognized the year's most remarkable individuals and teams for their extraordinary achievements in operations and technological advancement.

"The achievements we celebrate at the Laureate Awards embody the spirit of exploration, innovation, and vision that inspire others to strive for significant, broad-reaching progress in aviation, aerospace and defense," said Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo.  "We are proud to recognize and celebrate the winners' accomplishments, as well as the accomplishments of all the other Laureate award finalists from which they were chosen."

The 10 category winners include:

• Philip J. Klass Award for Lifetime Achievement: C. Don Bateman, Chief Engineer, Corporate Fellow, Flight Safety Systems, Honeywell
• Aviation Week Heroism Award: United States Coast Guard
• Aeronautics/Propulsion: Speed Agile-Powered Lift System Concept demonstration team
• Business/General Aviation: Walter Fricke, AirBoss, Veterans Airlift­ Command
• Commercial Air Transport: Richard Anderson, Chairman & CEO, Delta Air Lines
• Defense: K-Max Cargo Unmanned Aircra­ft Systems team
• IT/Electronics: The Newark Liberty International Airport Ground-Based Augmentation System Team
• Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO): Alan Butterfield, Vice President, Maintenance & Engineering, Air Canada
• Space: Curiosity Entry, Descent & Landing Team
• Workforce: Marion Blakey, President and CEO, and Susan Lavrakas, Director, Workforce, Aerospace Industries Association

Four military academy cadets were also named Tomorrow's Leaders, sponsored by BAE Systems.  The awards honor young men and women who have chosen career paths in the armed forces.  This year's honorees include:

• Zachary Howard Adams, Cadet First Class, United States Air Force Academy
• Matthew George Gallup, Cadet Lieutenant, United States Military Academy
• Erik William Oredson, Cadet First Class, United States Coast Guard Academy
• Benjamin Lee Putbrese, Midshipman First Class, United States Naval Academy

Produced by Aviation Week, the Laureate Awards were conceived more than 50 years ago.  The formal dinner and awards ceremony is one of the industry's premier events, attracting hundreds of industry pioneers and thought leaders from around the world.  Event sponsors include Platinum Sponsor BAE Systems and Diamond Sponsor Boeing.

Complete coverage of the Laureate Awards will be available in the March 25 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology and is available at http://www.aviationweek.com.

About Aviation Week:  Aviation Week, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. Aviation Week produces data and analytics services including the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), industry-leading events around the world, as well as ShowNews and Business & Commercial Aviation.

On July 2, 2012, the group's flagship Aviation Week & Space Technology (AW&ST) relaunched with an even greater focus on technology, business and operations that has long been the brand's hallmark.  In addition to civil, military and space, AW&ST's market coverage is further expanded with new monthly Defense Technology and MRO editions to include land and sea and aftermarket insights.

Aviation Week's 2012 digital expansion includes a redesigned AviationWeek.com for deeper community engagement and navigation and a comprehensive technology upgrade to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN).  AWIN, the industry's essential integrated business tool, now has increased capability through more fleet and MRO data and an expanded team of data analysts.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012. Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, Crisil, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries.  Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

SOURCE Aviation Week