The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced that Gulfstream has been named the recipient of the 2014 Robert J. Collier Trophy for development of the G650 business jet.
The Collier Selection Committee, comprised of 30 individuals from throughout the aviation and aerospace industry, met yesterday to hear presentations from each nominee and vote.
The G650 was also nominated for the 2013 prize, which went instead to the Mars Curiosity rover. This year Gulfstream was up against some stiff competition again, including bizjet rival Embraer and its fly-by-wire Legacy 500 twinjet.
"It was a very strong list of nominations, which reflect the advancement of the world's aviation industry," said Jim Albaugh, Chairman of NAA. "It was a difficult list from which to select a recipient, and I congratulate Gulfstream on this great honor."
The other nominees for the 2014 Collier Trophy included Alan Eustace and the StratEx Team; the Embraer Legacy 500; the F-16 Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Team; the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee; the Orion Exploration Flight Test-1; and the Aurora Flight Sciences Orion UAS.
The Collier Trophy is awarded annually "…for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."
The award will be presented to Gulfstream at NAA's annual Collier Trophy gala this spring.
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