The Wings Club Selects Jim Albaugh As Its 2013 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipient

NEW YORK, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wings Club, recognized as the premier aviation club in the world, will honor Mr. Jim Albaugh with the 2013 Distinguished Achievement Award. Acknowledging outstanding accomplishments in the field of aviation, The Wings Club will present this award on October 25, 2013, at its 71^st Annual Awards Gala to be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.             

Following a storied 37-year career, Albaugh retired in 2012 as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a $50 billion business.  Albaugh was named to this position in September 2009.  He was also Executive Vice President of The Boeing Company.

From 2002 to 2009, Albaugh served as President and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, a $34 billion business, providing defense, space and intelligence products for the United States and customers around the world.

From 1998 to 2002, he was President and CEO of Boeing Space and Communications, which merged with the company's Military Aircraft and Missiles Systems unit in July 2002 to create Integrated Defense Systems.

Before leading Space and Communications, Albaugh was President of Boeing Space Transportation, a predecessor unit of Space and Communications. He assumed that position after serving as President of Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power, part of the Rockwell aerospace and defense businesses acquired by Boeing in 1996.  A Washington state native, Albaugh joined the company in 1975 as a project engineer at the Hanford, Washington operations. 

Albaugh is an elected member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics.  He is a Fellow and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and an elected Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Albaugh's other affiliations include the Air Force Association and the American Astronautical Society. He served on the Aerospace Industries Association Board of Governors Executive Committee and in 2011 he was chairman of AIA.  He is President-elect of Aerospace Industries Association of America.  He is also a Senior Advisor with the Blackstone Group.

Albaugh serves on the TRW Automotive Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees of Willamette University and the Board of Visitors of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University.  He also is on the Wings Club Board of Governors and the board of the National Competitiveness Center, an independent organization that helps Saudi Arabia compete more effectively in the global economy. A member of the American Astronautical Society, the Air Force Association and Washington Roundtable, he sits on the boards of a variety of corporate and charitable organizations.

Albaugh holds bachelor's degrees in mathematics and physics from Willamette University and a master's degree in civil engineering from Columbia University.

The Wings Club's Distinguished Achievement Award has been presented annually since 1975. Past recipients include Neil Armstrong, Senator John Glenn, President George H. W. Bush, Brigadier General Charles E. Yeager, Steven Udvar-Hazy, T. Allan McArtor and General John R. "Jack" Dailey, as well as 13 present and former airline CEO's including Frederick Smith, Robert Crandall, Herbert Kelleher, Gordon Bethune, Sir Colin Marshall, Wolfgang Mayrhuber, and Sir Richard Branson.

The Wings Club, founded in 1942, is the premiere global aviation society. Its primary purpose is to encourage and support education in aviation and aerospace, and through its Scholarship Fund, provide scholarships to colleges and universities for students in aviation–related fields. The Club is dedicated to preserving the history and traditions of aviation and affords a forum for speeches, discussion and debate on topical aviation issues of the day. The Wings Club is comprised of over 1,200 aviation industry leaders, professionals in related service fields, academic leaders and aviation enthusiasts.

Recognizing significant achievements that contribute to the advancement of aeronautical and aviation matters, The Wings Club recognizes and honors people with the Distinguished Achievement Award, Distinguished Scholar Awards and Outstanding Aviator Award.   

For more information on The Wings Club please call 212-867-1770, e-mail [email protected]  or visit http://www.wingsclub.org.

SOURCE The Wings Club