Newscaster, anchor, reporter and pilot Miles O’Brien will serve as the Master-of-Ceremonies for the National Aviation Hall of Fame’s 49th Annual Enshrinement Dinner & Ceremony in Dayton, Ohio, on July 17. O’Brien will lead the induction ceremony, where four more American pioneers of flight are to be honored for their contributions to aviation. They will join the roster of 203 men and women previously honored by the NAHF.
An experienced licensed pilot and aircraft owner, O’Brien has covered aviation and space, in addition to major global news events around the world. In early 2002, O’Brien secured a deal with NASA that would have sent him on a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The deal was scuttled after the Columbia accident.
“O’Brien brings a deep understanding of the role aviation and space has played in both the history and business of our country,” said Ron Kaplan, enshrinement director for the NAHF. “As someone who is at home in the cockpit as he is in front of the camera, Miles O’Brien will be a great emcee for the ‘Oscar Night of Aviation.’”
O’Brien is the president his own production company based in New York City that serves corporate, government and non-profit educational organizations with a focus on science, technology, the environment and aerospace. O’Brien spent nearly 17 years as the chief science environment and aerospace correspondent at CNN (1992-2008). He also anchored several CNN news programs including CNN Saturday and Sunday Morning, Live From…, TalkBack Live and American Morning.
The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 is:
- Navy Capt. Alan Bean, ret., lunar module pilot for Apollo 12, man’s second lunar landing; commander of the Skylab 3 mission, and now a noted artist;
- Warren G. Grimes, father of aircraft lighting and inventor of aircraft navigation instruments;
- Clay Lacy, a 50,000-hour pilot, business aviation icon and videographer for many Hollywood pictures, including Top Gun and The Right Stuff;
- Noel Wien, an Arctic flight expert who founded Wien Alaska Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the U.S., and who has been listed as one of the 10 greatest pilots of all time.
The 2010 Milton Caniff “Spirit of Flight” Award recipient will be the 8,000-member-company National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). The award is bestowed annually upon a group or organization in recognition of its achievement in advancing aviation. The “Spirit of Flight” Award will be presented July 16 during the NAHF President’s Reception & Dinner.
For more information: 937-256-0944, ext. 10 or NationalAviation.org.
