The most recent Crystal Eagle Awards Banquet was Saturday, October 24, 2009 at the Hiller Museum, San Carlos Airport where we recognized the achivements of Mike Melvill.
The Aero Club of Northern California recognized Mike Melvill, who flew SpaceShipOne on a sub-orbital mission into space in 2004 to become the first commercial astronaut.
Melvill was the 27th recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, presented annually by the Aero Club to honor those whose achievements are among the highest in aviation. Melville made history on June 21, 2004 as the first pilot of SpaceShipOne, which was built by Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites LLC. His flight was the first privately funded mission to reach space. He was the 435th person to go into space.
Melvill also flew the next mission of SpaceShipOne – the first competitive flight in the Ansari X Prize competition for the first non-government organization to send a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. The SpaceShipOne project won the $10 million prize awarded by the X Prize Foundation.
In 25 years as a test pilot, Melvill logged 7,600 hours as the pilot of more than 130 types of aircraft. He made the first flights in 10 of the Burt Rutan-designed aircraft. In 1997, Melvill flew around the world with Dick Rutan in a Long EZ aircraft that he built himself. He is the sole or joint holder of nine FAI aviation world records.
The Aero Club also presented National Aeronautic Association Certificate awards to general aviation activist John Blair of San Jose, and FBO Owner and aviation professor Brian Stout of Morgan Hill for their life-long contributions to the advancement of flight.
The Crystal Eagle Award is a unique work of art crystal handcrafted in Italy.