The Aero Club of Southern California is proud to honor a legendary hero, both on and off-screen, Harrison Ford with the 43rd annual Howard Hughes Memorial Award. Ford will be presented the award during a live ceremony event on Friday, June 10, 2022, in Los Angeles at the California Science Center Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Pavilion.
Best known for his renowned acting career, Harrison Ford is a licensed pilot of both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. He began flight training in the 1960s flying in a Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer, but at $15 an hour, he could not afford to continue the training. In the mid-1990s, he continued lessons when he bought a used Gulfstream II and asked one of his pilots, Terry Bender, to teach him.
Ford shared his love of flying with young people serving as Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles program chairman for five years. During this time, he flew more than 280 children in his DHC-2 Beaver.
In 2010, he commanded an Operation Smile medical volunteer and supply airlift for Haiti earthquake victims. Ford is a volunteer search and rescue helicopter pilot in Teton County, Wyoming. He traveled to Washington, D.C., multiple times to advocate for pilots’ rights. He serves as an honorary board member of the humanitarian aviation organization, Wings of Hope and as vice chair of Conservation International.
“It is an honor to celebrate Harrison Ford, the illustrious actor, pilot, and passionate aviation advocate for his volunteer work with Young Eagles, humanitarian and aircraft rescue efforts,” states George Butts, president of Aero Club of Southern California. “The Aero Club’s mission is to honor the giants of aviation and aerospace while providing generous scholarships to students pursuing an education in either field. We look forward to bringing industry professionals and the public together to recognize Mr. Ford this June and to celebrate the visibility he brings to the aviation and aerospace industries through his aviation accomplishments and iconic film career.”
The Howard Hughes Memorial Award honors exceptional leaders who advanced the fields of aviation or aerospace technology. Harrison Ford’s name will be added to the Howard Hughes Memorial trophy, a mid-century modern globe and vehicle sculpture, joining 42 aviation and aerospace pioneers including last year’s honoree Richard “Dick” Rutan as well as General Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Neil Armstrong, General Jimmy Doolittle, Elon Musk, Captain Jim Lovell, Marillyn Hewson, and Captain “Sully” Sullenberger.
