LAKELAND, Fla., April 13, 2010 - Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack J. Pelton has been named the recipient of the 2010 Lindbergh Award. The award will be presented at a ceremony during the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. Cessna Aircraft Company is a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.
The Lindbergh Award is given annually to individuals whose work over many years has made significant contributions toward Lindbergh’s concept of balancing technology and nature.
In its award citation the Lindbergh Foundation said Pelton has been a vocal proponent for policies and practices that balance progress and technology with environmental sensitivity, a concept that resonates with the Foundation.
Pelton has been a strong advocate for international cooperation to solve environmental issues associated with aviation. In a speech earlier this year at the Les Respirations environmental conference in Paris, Pelton called for exploitation of technology and aircraft design to further improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, even though general aviation contributes less than 1 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
In 2008, Pelton established the Cessna Environmental Strategy Council which focuses on aircraft emissions, industrial emissions/waste/recycling, recycling consumables, energy conservation and engaging employees. In addition, Pelton was appointed by then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius to chair Kansas’ Energy and Environmental Policy Advisory Group.
Under Pelton, Cessna also launched GreenTrak, a flight planning program for Cessna Citation business jets that allows pilots to optimize flights for time, speed and fuel efficiency which reduces emissions.
