In 2022, the Foundation launched four important awards and a scholarship program. Each of the awards is named for one of our founders and is intended to recognize teams and/or individuals who are making significant contributions to aviation safety, with an emphasis on collaboration across organizations and international borders. These awards embody the values and goals of Flight Safety Foundation in recognizing and promoting safety advancement, excellence and innovation.
The Foundation, through extensive research involving the Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University and other aviation institutions, rediscovered the original founders and more accurately established their histories and roles in the Foundation and their contributions to aviation broadly. The histories of the founders can be found on our website.
For example, Jerry Lederer developed accident investigation procedures that are still used today, and he was an early advocate and enabler of exchanging safety information among stakeholders and across borders.
Gloria Heath, a pioneering female aviator, was an expert in search-and-rescue operations, and she was instrumental in developing the first formal course in aircraft accident investigation, which was conducted by the Foundation.
Richard Crane was an aviator, entrepreneur and researcher who focused on ways to prevent crash injuries. His long-time research partner, David Morrison, was an inventor and human factors researcher who patented a digital cockpit instrument display in the mid-1940s and envisioned a moving map display to assist with navigation.
We wanted to honor the memory of our founders, their ground-breaking work and their accomplishments in aviation safety. At the same time, we believe it is important to recognize the accomplishments of today’s leaders in aviation safety who work every day to make aviation safer now and into the future.
The Jerome Lederer Safety Leadership Medal recognizes an individual or team for a making a significant contribution to the advancement of civil aviation through demonstrated organizational and industry leadership and by developing or advancing programs that have a lasting impact on aviation. The inaugural recipient of the award was the Aviation Safety InfoShare, which is a joint effort of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the aviation industry.
The Gloria Heath Trophy recognizes a woman for notable achievements in civil aviation. The inaugural award was presented to Poppy Khoza, South Africa’s director of civil aviation, who, among her many accomplishments, is the first woman to lead the South African Civil Aviation Authority and in late September, became the first woman elected president of the Assembly for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s 41st Triennial Assembly.
The David Morrison Innovation Award recognizes an individual team or organization for notable achievements through technological innovation and process transformation. The first award was presented to Zipline and the governments of Rwanda and Ghana for their development and implementation of instant drone-based logistics systems to deliver vaccines, medicines, blood and other critical medical supplies over vast regions in the two countries.
The Richard Teller Crane Founder’s Award was a historical award that we relaunched to recognize an organization for sustained corporate leadership through lasting contributions in the field of civil aviation. The 2022 award was presented to ICAO for its leadership and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Council Aviation Recovery Task Force, or CART.
In addition, as the industry recovers and emerges from the pandemic, it is crucial that we attract new professionals into aviation. So, last year, the Foundation launched the Gloria Heath Scholarship program to assist women who are working toward aviation careers. The scholarship supports female students who are committed to careers in aviation and have demonstrated scholastic excellence indicative of success in the future, a strong interest in and aptitude for aviation and a demonstration of strong character, professionalism, and integrity.
In 2022, we changed the lives of a dozen women in Africa, Asia and the Americas by awarding this unique scholarship. Please see their stories. Thank you to all those who contributed to the scholarship fund that helped change the lives of these young women. Please contribute to the 2023 scholarship fund.
Nominations for our awards and scholarship program will be opening soon. Please visit our website for more information or contact Frank Jackman via email at jackman@flightsafety.org.
